The Axis Invasion of Malta

A former U.S. Marine with a background in nuclear engineering, military history, and wargaming, Burtt takes on one of the most notable "What Ifs" of the Second World War, the possibility of an Axis invasion of Malta.  And he does a very good job of it.

Burtt devotes about half his text, including appendices, to a close lo ok at the military situation, carefully evaluating the resources available to each side and their planning. Very evenhanded, he reminds us that Italian forces were better than the image derived from wartime propaganda that has become "common knowledge."

Then, in the balance of the book, Burtt offers an account of how an invasion might have unfolded and its consequences, by drawing on parallel events at other times and places.  Your reviewer will offer no spoilers, albeit that the suggested course of events and their fallout seem quite realistic and reasonable. Burtt concludes with a chapter titled "Reality & Analysis."

This is an excellent counter-factual, though one would have preferred to learn a little more about pre-war Italian invasion plans, as well the evolution of British defense plans, and perhaps, a critique of some of the commercial wargames on the subject.

Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the European Theatre in World War II, and particularly operations in the Mediterranean and North African.

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