While most consumers of World War II history
While most consumers of World War II history are familiar with Malta and the epic struggle the small island endured, few are aware of the similar onslaught conducted against the nearby islands of Pantellaria and Lampedusa. Located to the west of Malta between Sicily and the Tunisian coast, these Italian-controlled islands largely escaped Allied attention for the first three years of the Mediterranean conflict, but this abruptly changed in the late spring of 1943. As Allied authorities finalised their plans for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, they determined that a valuable prerequisite to this undertaking was the seizure of Pantellaria and Lampedusa as both islands were ideally positioned to provide the Axis with early warning of the pending Allied invasion. To this end, both islands had airfields, radar installations and observation posts that increased the threat of detection for transiting Allied forces. Likewise, Pantellaria had a large underground hanger that w...