ABSTRACT

In the first part of this study reasons have been sought to explain the condition of Malta's defences when Italy declared war in June 1940. Had the island been written off as indefensible, as continues to be alleged? Even if not. had the authorities neglected to provide adequate defences? How weak were Malta's defences when war broke out, and why were they not stronger? To answer these questions fully it has been considered necessary to follow the twists and turns of events throughout the inter-war period. In this span of 20 years British military policy and planning was shaped by profound and often unexpected changes in national relationships, not the least of which were the circumstances that led to the enmity of two countries that had been allies in the First World War. Economic conditions were also uncertain. After a gradual recovery from the destruction and dislocation of the Great War. the British and European economies were thrown into a new crisis by the Wall Street "crash' of 1929. Recovery demanded, by the economic tenets of the time, severe reductions in public expenditure from which defence spending was not exempt. These were also years in which technical developments in the military sphere raised questions to which past experience could offer no reliable answers. Prominent among these was the growing power of military aircraft, particularly the bomber, and it was not until late in the inter-war period that the means to counter the bomber threat began to emerge.