Part XXVI: Exiles in Action

Excerpted from Valerie Leslie's "Malta Photoblog") (1)

The Bronzes of Valletta Part 1: A Monument to a Wartime Leader

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The Upper Barrakka Gardens Today​

For fifty years without fail a small crowd has gathered on June 11th to lay a wreath and other flowers at the base of a relatively small bronze bust of King Zog in an overlooked portion of Malta's Upper Barrakka Gardens. Though many modern passersby assume this ceremony commemorates postwar Maltese immigration to Albania, in reality these small crowds pay tribute to an often overlooked event in Maltese history known locally as "The First Convoy / L-Ewwell Konvoj" which not only laid the foundations for postwar immigration but also likely changed the course of the Second World War. Granted, there is an element of truth to the tourist's popular perceptions, as the events of the First Convoy undoubtedly laid the foundation for the emigration of nearly 30,000 Maltese to Albania from 1945-75, yet when the Maltese people commissioned Vincent Apap to erect the bust in 1955 this scale of emigration was not apparent. Instead, their thoughts were fixed firmly on a fact which the historians writing the official histories at the same time were glossing over: Malta's survival during the war was in largely due to Zog's timely intervention. (2)

Unlike so many within the British military establishment, Zog continued to recognize Malta's vital strategic location in the Mediterranean and had become increasingly fixated upon it as the prospect of war with Italy loomed on the horizon. Yet when the UK refused to take what he considered to be adequate defensive measures during the Abyssinian crisis such as bolstering the island's garrison or even evacuating the floating dock, (3) Zog began to consider taking matters into his own hands but continued to demur so as to not reveal his intentions. Five years later, with war now imminent for both Albania and the United Kingdom, Zog looked at the sorry state of the British garrison and felt the need to throw caution to the wind and take matters into his own hands. Having studied the problem thoroughly he drew upon his immense financial empire to do what he believed was necessary and cut through the morass of politics, intelligence, economics, and diplomacy which was preventing the British from taking a similar action. For despite some voices calling for immediate reinforcement, Britain remained committed to maintaining Italian neutrality and did not wish to provoke a conflict at a time when Germany seemed ascendant. As a result, when Italy did declare war Britain found herself with an undermanned and under gunned Maltese garrison with only a trio of obsolescent Sea Gladiator fighters aptly named "Faith," "Hope," and "Charity," to provide aircover and less than two months of stockpiled supplies. (4)

Fortunately for the people of Malta, Zog's preparation shone out like a beacon amidst a swirling sea of chaos and hoarding. In the blink of an eye, Malta's food stocks went from critical to bountiful as most of the space on the six freighters had been allocated to ensuring that all of the island's residents had an additional six months of non-perishable food items. Zog had also included a similar supply of other critical items such as medical supplies and kerosene, the main cooking fuel used by the Maltese at the time. (5) Only the contents of the tanker, carrying both naval fuel oil and aviation gasoline, had any direct military application and given the paucity of aircraft on the island a limited one at that. The vast amount of space dedicated to these items led several of historians in the late 1940s to rightly point out that Zog's contribution did nothing to change the military imbalance present at Malta in 1940 and indeed made the island more of a target for the Italians. In doing so they overlooked the less flashy Albanian contribution in favour of emphasizing the heroism of servicemen hailing from around the Commonwealth.

Though Zog never publicly criticized any of these accounts, he did discretely allocate a sizeable sum to several Albanian scholars to not only write Albania's official war history but also translate it into English. In addition to providing a scintillating account of the guerrilla warfare in Albania proper, Zog ensured that his scholars dedicated several volumes to the experiences of the diaspora with one devoted solely to Albanian activities in Malta and later Sicily. This volume's release prompted one of the first major revisions in the Anglosphere's understanding of the war as it not only quantified the impact of Zog's efforts to alleviate Malta's logistical situation, but also revealed how central Albanian contributions had been to the Island's pivotal role in the Second World War. Not only did the arrival of six months of food and other supplies during a period of widespread hoarding prompt the formation of one of the most effective rationing systems in the Commonwealth and allow the Royal Navy to reinforce Malta far more quickly, Albanian personnel, capital, and planning literally paved the way for the RAF's triumph in the skies above.

Having recognized the importance of air power as a keen observer of military affairs, Zog was dismayed to read his agents' pre-war reports on the state of Malta's airfields. With only a single paved runway at RAF Hal Far and minimal provisions for the expansion of support facilities or defenses, it was difficult to see Malta becoming the bastion of support Zog needed it to be for his strategy to work. Thus, beginning in 1938, Zog sought to address that problem by quietly ordering planning and survey work to be done for not only the expansion of Hal Far, but the establishment of additional airfields across the island. To further expedite the fulfillment of these plans Zog also mobilized his global commercial empire to place key personnel in Malta, many of whom had not only technical but linguistic expertise from either their background in the Albanian diaspora or working with them. The First Convoy brought the penultimate part of Zog's plan along with them in the shape of construction equipment and tools, both of which began to be put to use a mere 48 hours after initial negotiations had concluded.(6)

The presence of Albanian construction workers at RAF Hal Far while Italian bombs rained from the heavens undoubtedly added a degree of urgency to Albanian calls for Malta's reinforcements. Though no records exist of the behind closed doors discussions, a number of prominent newspaper articles coupled with the support of Admiral Cunningham and others undoubtedly influenced Churchill's decision to expedite reinforcement shipments to the island and vindicated Zog's decision to place so much effort into the island's defenses. For, in addition to the First Convoy, Zog had also ordered several last-minute shipments from Albania to Malta during the opening days of the war. In so doing, he likely surrendered the possibility of stopping the Italian invasion outright by sabotaging what eventually became the vital Italian port of Saranda, a fact which garnered significant criticism at the time which continues to ebb and flow to this day most recently in the form of the anti-Zogist historian Xhemal Hyseni.

As caustic as Hyseni's criticisms seem today, they would have been relatively tame in 1940 as Italian troops poured into Albania. Rumors began to circulate in both Albania and abroad that Zog had sent his most faithful out of the country to save them from the annihilation of Albania he had been planning from the beginning. The recipients of his aid also began to doubt its efficacy as the initial panic subsided. Even Zog himself seems to have begun to doubt his decision to invest so much in Malta as he recovered from the wounds he suffered at the Battle of Tirana and was forced to watch the Regia Aeronautica almost completely ignore Malta and focus the bulk of their attention on Albania. When combined with Britain's willingness to send reinforcements, the reprieve granted to Malta by the Italians shocked the usually indomitable Albanian monarch and led him to wonder if leaving Saranda open to the Italians was truly worthwhile.

Fortunately, that uncertainty vanished mere months later as the fruits of Zog's planning and capital outlay finally became apparent. Following the conclusion of their perilous journey across the central Mediterranean on June 13, roughly 1800 Albanian miners and workers joined the rest of Zog's men on the island and found themselves supplied with not only plans and equipment but the money they needed to fulfill their mission. Flanked by hundreds of newly recruited Maltese men, each eager to take hold of some of Zog's rumored benevolence, these workers took advantage of the lax Italian bombing campaign to transform the islands. Though much of the initial press coverage focused on the construction of air-raid shelters, the truly pivotal work took place as Zog's men massively expanded not only the airfield at RAF Hal Far, but airfields at RAF Luqa, RAF Ta'-Kali, and RAF Safi. In addition to laying out enough paved runways for not only fighters, but fully laden bombers, these workers also used limestone extracted from the newly built air-raid shelters and elsewhere to construct hundreds of revetments for future aerial reinforcements. (7)

Most of the mockery of Zog's "Build it and they will come" strategy emerged in the summer of 1940 when the fear over the Italian bombing began to subside just as construction efforts intensified. Four airfields and hundreds of revetments seemed to be exponentially more than was necessary especially considering the paltry number of aircraft stationed on the island at the time. Despite the public perception that Zog's resources should have been allocated elsewhere, behind closed doors, British and Commonwealth figures marveled at Zog's perception and worked to maximize the opportunity he had presented them. Having addressed many of the failures of Britain's inter-war Mediterranean policy, Zog's preparations allowed the Royal Navy to ferry in reinforcements to the island at a pace previously thought to be impossible. Initially, these reinforcements largely came from the Mediterranean theatre but before the end of the Summer, assets had begun to arrive from the UK proper as Churchill sought to demonstrate Britain's continued commitment to its allies. Though most attention continues to be directed towards the aircraft which arrived from Egypt and the United Kingdom, the silent contribution of two additional battalions of infantry and hundreds of AA guns should not be ignored. By the time the Regia Aeronautica was finally able to turn its full attention towards Malta it had truly become a nearly impregnable fortress a fact made even more apparent to both sides by the embarrassing Italian amphibious assault on Albania.

In addition to facilitating the dozens of interceptions made by the Hurricanes of No. 261 Squadron, Zog's investments in Malta's airfields and maintenance capabilities also played a key role in augmenting the burgeoning offensive capabilities of the Island's air contingent. As Albanian historians rightly point out, it would have been impossible for the RAF to launch nearly the same number of reconnaissance missions in Fall 1940 had they not been supported by Zogist contributions. These reconnaissance missions in turn laid the foundation for the major turning point in the Mediterranean Theatre: Operation Judgement. Not only were RAF Maryland bombers operating from Ta'Kali able to pinpoint the location of the Italian Battleships in Taranto, but Wellington bombers operating from the extended airfield at RAF Luqa infamously finished off the Regia Marina's most modern battleship Littorio. (8) This smashing success led to the further reinforcement of Malta and thus the further justification of Zog's decision to invest.

Not only had Admiral Somerville and Cunningham used Operation Judgement to cover the transit of another 12 Hurricanes and a convoy of fast merchantmen to Malta, but the losses suffered by the Italian navy paved the way for future rapid reinforcements. With the effective removal of the threat posed by the Regia Marina, calls for the "Winston Special" convoys to be rerouted through the Mediterranean rather than around the Cape proved to be unignorable.(9) Though many of the older and slower ships continued to be routed around the Cape, the faster ships found themselves rerouted to participate in the feverish effort to not only reinforce Malta but also prepare for Operation Compass before the Germans moved in to reinforce their Italian allies. In addition to disgorging more troops, AA guns, expert personnel, and supplies, these convoys also provided an opportunity for the Royal Navy to ferry additional Hurricane fighters and pilots to bolster the Island's growing RAF contingent. Using both the carriers Argus and Furious these missions, called "Club Runs" proved sufficient to not only replace losses but expand the Island's fighter strength to 3 squadrons by the end of 1940. Though it took some time for the men to adapt to the increased pace of operation on the Islands especially compared to their previous stations in Northern England and Ireland, they quickly settled in and became a key piece of the upcoming operations. (10)

The successful integration of these squadrons was largely due to the replacement of Air Commodore Foster Herbert Martin Maynard with Air Vice Marshall Keith Park in November 1940. Despite having fallen out of favour along with Dowding due to their handling of the Blitz, Park's experience proved essential in preparing Malta for the years ahead. In particular, his insistence that Churchill send additional equipment to augment Malta's radar capability and other aspects of its air raid warning system proved to be vital once the Luftwaffe arrived on the scene. (11) When combined with his reputation and superior organizational skills compared to Maynard, Park rapidly transformed AHQ Malta into a beacon of hope for the entire free world. Italian losses, already uncomfortably high for Rome before his arrival, skyrocketed in the final months of 1940, leading to the flight south from Sicily being termed "la rotta dela morta" (12) by the men of the Regia Aeronautica. This name was well earned, for, in stark contrast to undefended Albania, Malta proved to be a meatgrinder for the Italian Air Force. In addition to struggling with the maintenance demands of an aerial offensive, the Italians also lost nearly 120 aircraft over the island while 800 suffered severe damage.(13)

The insistence that the Regia Aeronautica continue to launch aerial attacks in the face of such determined opposition was largely driven by yet another element of Malta's reinforcements: the arrival of the 14th Destroyer Flotilla. Upon their arrival on November 7th 1940, the Jervis, Janus, Mohawk and Nubian under captain P.J. Mack, massively increased Malta's ability to interdict Italian convoys to Libya as a night striking force. (14) Though their first sortie was not successful, they quickly found their rhythm and sank an entire convoy off the Tunisian coast on November 12. Without adequate equipment or training to defeat them on the open seas, Mussolini insisted that the Regia Aeronautica compensate by neutralizing Malta's offensive capability. Here again the Duce ran into Albanian ingenuity as Italian bombing raids on the Grand Harbour, which were never overly accurate to begin with, suffered a further blow to their accuracy in mid-November with the long awaited completion of an array of smoke projectors.(15) These projectors proved capable of blanketing the Grand Harbour within minutes of a raid's sighting and did so effectively enough to massively impact the accuracy of the bombers which made it through.

When combined with the activities of the submarines and aircraft stationed on Malta, the 14th Destroyer Flotilla played a critical role in justifying Malta's reinforcement by severely limiting the flow of Italian reinforcements to Libya in late 1940. Had the Italians been able to complete their pivot from Europe to North Africa by fully utilizing the harbours at Tripoli and Benghazi after October 1940, Operation Compass might have faced far stiffer resistance. Instead, Wavell's 20,000 faced an Italian army desperately short on not only supplies, but tanks and motorized transport as well. Unfortunately for the people of Malta, the resulting Italian catastrophe brought with it not only elation but the long-feared specter of increased German involvement. As Commonwealth and Albanian troops settled into their new defensive lines in Cyrenaica, the aircraft of Fliegerkorps X became an increasingly common sight over Malta. A new phase of the siege had begun.

Were it not for King Ahmet Zog of Albania, the arrival of so many German aircraft might have been terrifying for not only the people of Malta but the entire world. Bereft of Albanian investment, the Royal Navy might have felt it had no other option than to continue with the planned January 1941 convoys through the Mediterranean. (16) Such a maneuver would have been extremely risky and might have decisively shifted the balance of power in the Mediterranean. Instead, with the island's stockpiles of supplies, food, and ammunition capable of lasting until August 1941, Governor Lieutenant General Sir William Dobbie concurred with Cunningham and recommended that the navy reroute convoys around the Cape until the German threat had been dealt with. With three full squadrons of Hurricanes under his command after the arrival of the final convoys of 1940 in December, Air Vice-Marshall Park believed that when combined with existing radar and the new network of volunteer coast watchers,(17) his command could easily handle its new opponent.

The truth proved to be a bit more complicated, but in broad strokes subsequent events vindicated both Dobbie and Park. Though the Germans succeeded in inflicting severe casualties on the islands defenders and forcing the withdrawal of both the 14th Destroyer Flotilla and the Island's bomber contingent, at no point was the island ever in danger of invasion. Even if the Axis had the amphibious lift capacity and naval gunfire support available, the Regia Marina had its hands full moving enough troops to salvage the Italian position in Libya. At the time, preventing the collapse of Italian Libya and thus Mussolini's regime seemed to justify the immense cost paid by the men of the Luftwaffe, yet as the war dragged on Der maltesische Hexenkessel proved to be yet another intractable disaster for the Axis…

Notes

1. The title and blog is a riff off this website. Check it out if you want to see Malta in a more personal way.

2. In OTL the citizens of Malta commissioned Vincent Apap, a famed Maltese sculptor, to make a bust of Churchill around the same time.

3. I thought about Zog pushing to evacuate the floating dry dock before the outbreak of the war but it felt too heavy handed.

4. I struggled with this one too especially given the impact that the OTL Italian invasion of Albania on British policy in the Mediterranean. In the end, I came to the conclusion that Italy's increasing control over Albania would produce a similar result to OTL. For those of you surprised that Malta only had 2 months of supplies in OTL, I was too. It is truly a testament to the citizens of the Island and the Royal Navy that they were able to avoid strict rationing until 1942. To think of what they could have done with more planning!

5. OTL Malta experienced a major kerosene shortage. As there are limited trees on the island, many Maltese citizens and even Commonwealth servicemen during the war, particularly in 1942, had issues securing enough fuel to reliably cook hot meals.

6. In OTL, both tools and construction equipment were in incredibly short supply for the duration of the Siege of Malta. Even simple tools like Hammers were in short supply into 1941 which understandably made aircraft maintenance difficult.

7. Due to the shortage of expertise, equipment, and planning in OTL this expansion took a long time to finally implement. Very little effort was made to construct proper revetments. Often crews resorted to filling fuel containers with sand and stacking them. That being said, in OTL's 1942 roughly 3000 servicemen constructed 283 revetments for arriving Spitfires. Extending runways also took a lot longer in OTL.

8. In OTL Wellington bombers had difficulty operating fully loaded from Malta in 1940 and 41 due to the short airfields. In TTL Albanian planning and workers have resolved that problem early on.

9. The British considered this in OTL but decided not to risk it until May 1941. In TTL the greater success at Taranto causes them to pull the trigger earlier.

10. In TTL Churchill is feeling a lot more comfortable sending fighters to the Mediterranean and Malta in particular due to a stronger Free French movement, a weaker and less hostile Vichy France, and most of all the revelation that Italy does not have sufficient amphibious assault capacity during TTL's invasion of Albania.

11. Park did this in OTL as well, only he only arrived in 1942. As a result most of the changes which only began to be instituted in mid-1941 get underway in late 1940.

12.Italian pilots called the flight south to Malta this in OTL as well.

13. The RA lost 65 aircraft and had 400 damaged over Greece in OTL. The losses over Malta are higher due to being able to deploy more aircraft from more airfields and the fact that the RAF contingent at Malta is better equipped than the RHAF and RAF assets in Greece.

14. Cunningham sent the 14th Destroyer Flotilla to Malta in OTL in April 1941.

15. The British figured this out in early 1941 in OTL. Here Zog is once again, one step ahead.

16. The RN debated not sending a January 1941 convoy in OTL but decided to anyways due to the worse supply situation. In TTL they choose not to thus sparing the Illustrious her run in with German dive bombers from Fliegerkorps X.

17. Another consequence of Zogist intervention. In OTL this organization took a long time to get going.

February 20, 1941. Matruh, Egypt.

"To think! If Zog and the British have their way, this railway will stretch all the way to Benghazi!"

It was all Toger Sherefidin "Dine" Doshishti could do to nod politely.

Take a few days off they said! Enjoy the food, get some tail, have a few laughs…

Bullshit

Fucking awkward… that's all this farce was. What was he supposed to say? As much as Farouk fawned over his uncle's achievements, the King of Egypt was a known Italophile. Despite possessing Albanian heritage and having his own country invaded by the same Fascist dogs, Farouk insisted that Egypt remain technically neutral to this day. His palace apparently still refused to adhere to blackout restrictions even after over a dozen Italian bombing missions.(18) Everyone knew that the only reason Farouk was hosting this dinner was to curry favour with the British and pro-Zogist elements of Egyptian society. The moment Hitler and Mussolini got the upper hand, Dine had no doubt Farouk would be there scheming for some way to writhe his way into their good graces like the obese snake that he was. Thus Dine, just like all the rest of Farouk's guests/prisoners tonight, was caught in something of a bind. On the one hand they couldn't support his flirtation with the Axis but on the other they couldn't say anything that could be seen as critical of it either.

After all they were all sitting in the dining car of the Egyptian Royal Family's personal train all things considered. Farouk had apparently wanted to see what all the fuss was about and had initially wanted to visit Benghazi himself only to be talked out of it at the last minute. Instead, he insisted that his "cousins" meet him at the border so he could ascertain their wellbeing and report back to not only their mothers but their aunt and uncle. That he would even mention the Vërlaci bitch after everything she had done made Dine want to strangle the man but that seemed to be Farouk's game: play both sides, tweak the Zogists whenever possible. Like so many would-be copycats, Farouk had picked up a taste for petty slights as a way to take revenge when their investment strategies did not pan out in the same way. So much of the Albanian Forces in Egypt's success to date had depended on Farouk's continued cooperation, as limited as it was. To jeopardize it by creating an incident at a dinner like this…

Look at me! had he less self-control, Dine would have smirked. It took all of what…eight months…to become a staunch Zogist? Of course, the unending barrage of news reports detailing the barbarism of the Italians and their Quislings in Albania had transformed not only Dine but almost every member of the Albanian Forces in Egypt. Whatever opportunism or vague sense of loyalty or patriotism that had motivated them before had been drowned out by a pervasive desire for revenge. Though not everyone had brothers fighting alongside the partisans like he did, almost everyone had family suffering under the occupation. Ever since Vehib Pasha's arrival, rumors had abounded of the growing number of atrocities against Albanians in both Italy and Albania proper. Most of them might have joined for the pay and benefits, and the continued flow of cash certainly didn't hurt, but everyone seemed to recognize something deeper driving the Albanians push themselves and their machines as hard as they did.

For all I know Salih and Hysen might already be dead… The thought of Italian soldiers shooting at them had been difficult enough to bear. Knowing now that those soldiers were flanked by hundreds if not thousands of blatantly opportunistic Albanian collaborators like the Vërlaci's had made it even worse. He had always been told about the changes war wrought in men, but he never quite understood it until now. To think of how his stomach once churned at the thought of potentially firing on the same men he had trained with at Caserta! Now, after four months of relentless sorties, four confirmed kills, and watching the Italian military he'd held in such high esteem crumple under a British assault, the feeling barely registered. Even then, his remorse only extended to the Italians he knew personally. The past few months destroyed his perception of Italian competence, it had also destroyed his belief in not only the superiority of Italian culture but the Albanian upper class which aped it. A class he had once considered himself a member of.

The old Dine would have been more than happy to nod in agreement and enjoy the meal, but now he, probably like all the other Albanians at the table, found himself yearning for his bunk in Benghazi. Glancing over at his younger cousin, he could see that, if anything, the boy was by far the most uncomfortable. Unlike Dine who had grown up ensconced in the life of Albanian tribal aristocracy before being sent to Italy, Tati had only known tumult in Albania. An assassin struck down his father, Ceno bej Kryeziu, when he was only four years old, sending his mother into a deep depression and leaving him to be raised by their grandmother Sadije. Under normal circumstances, Tati could have done much worse, but Sadije was far from the illustrious mother who had raised their mothers and uncle. No, by the time Tati came under her care, Sadije had lost her wits and fell under the influence of his uncle's former corrupt advisor Krosi. Fortunately, his mother, Nafije, saw the situation clearly enough to rouse herself from her depression and escape it in 1933.(19)

Tati's childhood years alone would have been sufficient to give him a vastly different outlook on life than his cousins, yet the events of the past decade had undoubtedly done far more to shape the boy. Like so many other Albanians, Nefije escaped her hopeless situation through emigration, only as a Princess she did not throw herself into some degrading form of employment but instead secured a new husband courtesy of Zog's new business venture. Ostensibly, Nafije's marriage to Ilir Taragjini, the head of the Union of FMSh Workers in Boston, was meant to reconcile the more liberal Albanian American community to the new monarchy, yet nearly everyone interpreted it as a form of penance from Zog for his role in Kryeziu's assassination. Regardless of the motivation, Nafije's emigration and new marriage radically changed not only her fate but that of her son.

Though moving to America had stripped Tati of his social status, it provided him with a stable loving home for the first time in his life and he thrived. It would have been understandable for him to reject his old life and fully throw himself into his new environment, yet he had developed a strong relationship with his adoptive father and as a result had picked up the man's Zogist politics against all odds. No one quite knew the extent of Tati's political leanings until he managed to secure passage to Egypt to join up with the Infantry. Apparently, the clerks had considered sending the boy home, yet his English skills were in such demand that they were able to convince not only Zog but Nafije and Ilir as well to permit his enlistment under the condition that he be kept away from the fighting. Like so many others, such a noble promise crumbled under the exigencies of war and by all accounts Tati had acquitted himself superbly during the whirlwind events of Operation Compass to the point of personally manning a machine gun during the Battle of the Pimple.

Those experiences, coupled with weeks of depravation as the Infantry manned the forward position at El Aghiela had transformed him into a hard man and a Nëntoger with no patience for the aristocratic babbling Farouk was interested in. Ever so slowly Dine saw his cousin's mouth begin to open. If the stories he'd heard were any indication the following words would be legendary and not particularly edifying.[/U]

Tati.jpg

A Postwar Candid Photo of Tati Kryeziu[/U]​

Goddamnit Tati! At least wait for dessert…

Thankfully, their leader, General Vehib Pasha, was also present. His gravitas coupled with his role in training the Albanian forces in Egypt and his victory at Durres meant that his reputation remained sterling even though almost everyone knew that he was still out of his depth fighting a mobile war and that Percy Hobart was the real source of the Albanian's success during Operation Compass.(20) Clearing his throat, Vehib Pasha spoke up and broke the silence with his signature measured tone.

"Yes, your majesty, the Western Desert Railway extension should prove a welcome supplement to our current logistical efforts. Upon its completion, not only will our defensive position become impregnable, but we should be well prepared to drive the Italians out of North Africa altogether!"

The subtle smile on Farouk's face belied the ignorance of his wealth addled mind. Did he really think Vehib Pasha would just let such confidential information slip out at just the slightest provocation? Part of Dine wanted to be suspicious that perhaps Farouk was also playing some sort of game, but his knowledge of the man's incompetence prevented that thought from bearing fruit. In all likelihood, he'd accepted the half-truths as a sign that his pre-war support of the Albanians had purchased him additional intelligence just like Vehib Pasha intended.

Dine noted with some relief that Vehib Pasha's interjection spared them one of Tati's tirades, yet that relief vanished when Farouk turned to Dine and continued speaking. "That certainly is fascinating General Pasha, yet I am hardly concerned with the War due to Egypt's neutrality. The linkage between Benghazi and Alexandria however is far more interesting to me as it seems to lay the foundation for Cyrenaica's re-incorporation into Egypt. I understand Lieutenant Doshishti's squadron is currently stationed there. Dine perhaps you could tell me more about the state of Egypt's future most westward city? Will there be anything left after the Germans are finished with it?"

Dine paused for a moment to collect himself. Ignoring Farouk's backhanded slight against his squadron's relative lack of success against the recent Luftwaffe raids, he proceeded cautiously. "I'd imagine so, after all the Luftwaffe seems far more interested in Malta these days. At most we see a handful of bombers every other day. Its harassment more than anything else, difficult to predict and intercept but hardly devastating to our efforts at this point."

"And when the Germans decide to send more planes their way?"

"325 squadron will hardly be alone in that case. The RAF is already sending us a Hurricane squadron as soon as its available and within a week or two we'll have fully converted to the H-81…(21)"

"Another American plane?" Farouk scoffed "Why aren't the British sending you their vaunted Spitfires? Surely you've done enough to deserve them…"

It took every ounce of Dine's self-control not to engage Farouk's ham fisted attempt to sow division. "The British need their Spitfires over London and if they did send them to the Med, Malta would be their first stop. Honestly though, the H-81 should be fine for our purposes." He shot back with a shrug. "We could probably even soldier on with our current H-75s but it never hurts to be ahead of the curve. The real issue is training to intercept the night raids. A sleek pair of wings and a Merlin engine won't change that."

Well, not yet… rumor had it that Zog's American connections were working with British and French Representatives to order quite the number from North American Aviation. It wouldn't be ready for at least another year if not a year and a half, but if the plane's actual performance was anything like the rumored performance…

Coming back to the present situation, Dine cut his reverie short to conclude. "Besides, we're not the only Albanians fighting. From what I understand, by purchasing more ex-French planes we saved enough money for a host of other initiatives."

"And what pray tell are those? Perhaps new trucks to prepare for the upcoming offensive? Perhaps young Tati can shed some light on the situation…"

For fucks sake…

Once again General Pasha tried to interject "I'm afraid you mistake the nature of our ties to King Zog, we simply do not know…"

"Even if we did know, what makes you think we'd tell a fat fuck like you?"

"Nëntoger Kryeziu!"

Dine sighed as he caught a glance of the heaping dessert tray out of the corner of his eyes and could only slump in his chair as Tati continued his tirade despite Vehib Pasha's chastisement.

"With all due respect General, why are we even here? Are we seriously trying to convince Farouk to join our fight? We're doing just fine without him and his lackeys. Besides, it's not like we even need Farouk to siphon off equipment for the Infantry anymore. The British are supplying us now, just like they would any of their own infantry brigades. Even if our actions during Compass didn't merit such treatment, you'd think all the work our construction crews are putting in building airfields and the damn railway would count for something!" (22)

Dine didn't catch Vehib Pasha's response. Whatever it was, it was drowned out by the chaos that consumed the dining car. Tati would pay the price for his little outburst and by sheer familial proximity that would probably mean that Vehib Pasha would punish Dine as well. They'd most likely be spending the night in one of the British camps before hightailing it back to Benghazi. Perhaps they'd be able to score some American cigarettes and chocolate there. Normally, that'd be a good haul, but compared to what lay on the platters just out of reach, it almost made Dine wished he would have turned down the invitation all over again.

Notes

18. Farouk's Albanian heritage and wartime behaviour is the same as OTL.

19. See Part VII.

20. Slight retcon See part XXII. Basically, Zog manages to recruit Hobart after his dismissal in 1940 to help train the Albanians. Hobart then serves as an advisor to Vehib Pasha during Operation Compass which helps explain the level of success it had. This success coupled with Zog's, Liddel Hart's, and Churchill's advocacy leads to Hobart being reinstated and given command of the 2nd Armoured in Feb 1941.

21. The H-81's Dine is talking about here are OTL P-40 Tomahawk Mark I's. Like the H-75's he flew earlier these are ex-French aircraft with French style throttles and metric gauges which the Albanians purchased. In OTL they were converted to British standards and were quite unsatisfactory by the time they arrived at the front, in TTL they arrive a bit faster and are serviceable for a while.

22. Basically, Albanian advocacy, no Greek campaign, and a stronger position in North Africa means that work on the Western Desert Railway Extension gets started earlier in TTL. Zog also works to have Albanians assigned to the construction detail to gain experience for postwar plans.

Bernd Fischmann, "German Intervention in the Mediterranean," in Militargeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Research Institute for Military History), ed., Germany and the Second World War, vol. Ill, The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa, 1939-1941 (Oxford, Clarendon, 1995)

…Though even the most sanguine Axis observers held no hope for an invasion of Malta following the withdrawal of British bombers and naval assets in February 1940, the neutralization of the island's offensive capabilities opened the door for the serious reinforcement of Libya over the next few months. While the Luftwaffe and RAF battled it out over the rocky island, Mussolini threw the entire weight of the Italian war machine into salvaging the situation in Libya. Over the next two months, Tripolitan dockworkers slaved around the clock to unload ships carrying the best units the Regia Esercito had to offer all of which survived the transit relatively intact. When combined with the new Commander in Chief of Italian North Africa, Rodolfo Granziani, the Duce believed that the Centauro and Ariete armoured divisions along with the Trieste and Trento motorized divisions would prove more than capable of rallying the existing garrison's morale and salvaging Italian honour in North Africa. (23) The Duce also hoped that these units would render Hitler's offer of the Third Panzer and associated units as a Sperrverband unnecessary, particularly due to his delayed reluctant acceptance of Balbo's assertion that German aircraft would be needed to turn the tide in North Africa against the RAF's Desert Airforce.

Had Mussolini listened to Balbo earlier, or even chosen to pin the collapse of the 10th army solely on the captured General Tellera, (24) he might have been able to secure additional German support in North Africa. Instead, Italian requests for further Luftwaffe assets arrived not in February 1941 when they likely would have been well received, but in May after four months of grueling aerial combat which had drastically depleted vital reserves needed for the upcoming Operation Barbarossa. Believing that the Regia Aeronautica had shirked its responsibility to neutralize Malta, both Hitler and Göring had no interest in providing any more help than was absolutely necessary. As far as they were concerned, the Luftwaffe had sacrificed more than enough men and materiel for Italian ambitions. The loss of over 100 aircraft, coupled with combat damage had rendered Fliegerkorps X largely ineffective and threatened to do the same to Fliegerkorps VIII. (25) Either Mussolini could find sufficient air support for his planned offensive from his own air force, or he could await the conclusion of the campaign against the Soviet Union.

Given the complete and utter disarray facing the Regia Aeronautica in May 1941, the latter option proved to be the only option open to the Italians. A general lack of spare parts and replacement aircraft, coupled with poor maintenance practices amplified the Italian Airforce's general shortage of pilots and planes due to the losses suffered over Malta and Cyrenaica. (26) Now even more politically isolated due to the removal of his military responsibilities after Operation Compass, watching Mussolini try to salvage the war became one of the few bright spots in Italo Balbo's dismal existence as Governor General of Libya.(27) Ultimately, the Regia Aeronautica could only muster a fraction of the aerial strength he requested, by stripping home defense squadrons to the bare minimum and abandoning any hope of an offensive into either Yugoslavia or Greece in the short term. Even then, the new squadrons were barely enough to defend Tripolitania and completely insufficient to launch offensive operations.

Despite many within the Luftwaffe bemoaning the fact that so much had been sacrificed for so little, the state of their Italian ally perfectly suited both Hitler and the OKW in the lead up to Operation Barbarossa. An Italian offensive into either Cyrenaica or the Balkans would have siphoned off even more men and materiel desperately needed to defeat the Soviet Union. Moreover, an attack against Yugoslavia or Greece would have threatened the peaceful status quo the Reich was depending on for vital natural resources. Granted, Malta remained a festering sore, but Hitler deemed it one which could be dealt with at a later time. "We need the Fallschirmjager to support our eastern advance not be slaughtered by British Flak to salvage Mussolini's ego." He remarked to Göring in April 1940 after the cancellation of Operation Herkules.(28) "If Mussolini wants that God-forsaken Island he can take it himself."

Even without hindsight, the Fuhrer's statement was strikingly ignorant. Attempting to take, or at least neutralize, Malta autonomously had, along with Operation Compass and the Albanian debacle, weakened Mussolini's regime to the point German intervention was necessary in January 1941. The neutralization of Malta's offensive capabilities had purchased time for the Duce but it had not fundamentally altered the strategic problem in the Mediterranean. British fighters continued to reinforce Malta via Cyrenaica and Navy "Club Runs" even as Richtofen took Fliegerkorps VIII to the eastern front and Fliegerkorps X began the slow process of rebuilding. (29) The units comprising the island's offensive capabilities not only lay in wait, largely intact, for the RAF's inevitable restoration of air superiority but found themselves reinforced as Churchill became increasingly fixated on the Mediterranean.

Even without the superior kill ratios achieved by Park's command, the pageantry of aces like F.N. Robertson and J.A.F. Maclachlan alone served as a stark contrast to the RAF's dismal performance over Northern France in early 1941. By march, both members of No. 261 squadron were approaching 60 aerial victories and had become miniature celebrities in their own right throughout the Commonwealth. (30) Though most of their victories had come at the expense of the Italians, Robertson and Maclachlan's sustained success along with their comrades in 245 Squadron and 145 Squadron presented a clear alternative path to grinding down the Luftwaffe. (31) When combined with the lack of suitable RAF bombers for daytime raids over Europe, continued Albanian advocacy and Churchill's natural affinity for the Mediterranean, the success of AHQ Malta in inflicting grievous casualties on the Luftwaffe pried open the door for further reinforcements. So, in addition to capitalizing on the Axis' weakness by sending supplies to Cyrenaica through the Mediterranean in mid-1941, the British also released the two final components of the ultimate British victory over Malta: improved radar and Spitfire fighters…(32)[/U]

Hawker-Hurricane-I-Trop-RAF-261Sqn-J-Sgt-F-N-Robertson-P3731-Malta-1941-01.jpg

An OTL photo of F.N. Robertson in his Hurricane circa January 1941.​

Notes

23. Remember that in TTL Balbo survives and is in charge for Operation Compass. Thus he is replaced by his OTL replacement in February 1941 in TTL Granziani. Mussolini turns down the Afrika Korps in TTL and instead sends a few more Italian units, the most important being the Centauro Armoured Division. In OTL, the Centauro division, ostensibly one of the best Italy had to offer, was stuck in Greece for the entire war. These units begin arriving roughly a month later than DAK did in OTL due to the stronger allied position on Malta.

24. Due to the more rapid Allied advance, Tellera is not killed in TTL.

25. In OTL Fliegerkorps VIII participated in the invasion of Greece which doesn't happen in TTL. Instead, it's sent to bolster Fliegerkorps X which unlike OTL is facing a real opponent on Malta instead of a smattering of disorganized RAF contingents. As a result, it suffers far greater losses than OTL.

26. As mentioned earlier, maintenance and parts were major issues for the RA. In TTL they're facing vastly more competent enemies with better equipment and as a result suffer far greater losses earlier.

27. Honestly, I struggled with Balbo's fate in TTL. Keeping him in Libya but stripping him of his military responsibilities, which go to Granziani, seemed to be the most realistic as it keeps him out of Rome. I am, however, more than open to suggestions.

28. I toyed with a German attack on Malta instead of Crete in TTL. However, given the weaker Italian navy and the disastrous amphibious assault on Albania, I think the Germans would toy with the idea but ultimately abandon it just like they did in OTL.

29. The reinforcement of Malta via Cyrenaica only happened a few times in OTL due to the nature of the desert war, however in TTL a more stable front means that it becomes a key safety valve for the island.

30. Robertson and MacLachlan were the highest scoring members of No. 261 squadron in OTL. Given all the extra support, fuel, and better organization in TTL, they manage to fully exploit the target rich skies over Malta. In OTL, MacLachlan was shot down and his left arm was amputated. He later received a prosthetic and returned to the front lines before he was shot down again in 1943 and served out the rest of the war as a POW. In OTL he finished with 16.5 aerial victories as opposed to the 60+ in TTL. Marmaduke on the other hand is languishing flying Gladiators in Cyrenacia for now...

31. Both of these squadrons spent the last bit of 1940 and 1941 flying patrols over Northern England and Northern Ireland. Given Churchill's increased sense of security in TTL, I'd wager that he'd be willing to free these squadrons up for service in the Mediterranean and replace them with Defiants or something else.

32. I toyed with Churchill sending better radar and Spitfires earlier than this, but I just couldn't see it happening. The Circus operations are still happening in OTL, they're just on a slightly smaller scale due to the relocation of resources