FACTS AND STATS OF THE
SIEGE
8 Number of
serviceable Spitfires on Malta on 1 April, 1942
19 Number of
serviceable Hurricanes on Malta on 1 April, 1942
1 Number of
serviceable fighters on Malta on five separate days in April, 1942
0 Number of
serviceable fighters on Malta on 14 April, 1942
47 Number of
newly arrived Spitfires on Malta on April 20, 1942
7 Number of
Spitfires available on Malta on April 30, 1942
296 Number of
tons of bombs dropped on Takali Airfield in 24 hours on 20-21 March 1942,
making it the most bombed Allied airfield ever.
6,728 Number of
tons of bombs dropped on Malta in April, 1942 (36 times the size of the
bombing of Coventry). 1,700 tons dropped on Dresden.
3,156 Number of
tons of bombs dropped on harbour areas in Malta in April, 1942.
841 Number of
tons of bombs dropped on Takali airfield in April, 1942.
805 Number of
tons of bombs dropped on Luqa airfield in April, 1942.
18,000 Number of
tons of bombs dropped during entire Blitz of England
1,700 Number of
tons of bombs dropped on Dresden on 14 February 1945
260 Number of
tons of bombs dropped on Coventry, November 1940
3,340 Number of
air raid alerts over Malta during siege.
170 The average
number of enemy aircraft flying over Malta every day between December 1941
and April 1942.
26 Number of
confirmed enemy aircraft shot down by George Screwball Beurling between
July and October 1942. No other allied pilot shot down more planes in
such a short period of time at any point in the Second World War.
30,027 Number of
Maltese buildings destroyed and damaged during the siege.
17 miles by 9
approximate size of Malta.
454 Number of
enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged by Maltas anti-aircraft gunners
during siege.
102 Number of
enemy aircraft confirmed shot down by Maltas anti-aircraft gunners during
April 1942.
65 Number of
destroyed or damaged enemy aircraft on 10 May, 1942
82 Number of
enemy aircraft destroyed between 10-14 October 1942
350 Number of
enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged during Axis blitz of October, 1942.
174 Number of
RAF fighter pilots killed in action over Malta between June194 and
November 1942.
In two months in 1942
March and April more bombs were dropped on Malta (an island a fraction
of the size of London) than were dropped on London during the entire
Blitz.
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