Spitfires Over Malta

Spitfires over Malta

Seventy-five years ago in March 1942, the strategically important island of Malta stood alone against constant bombing raids by the German and Italian Air Forces, its nearest allies being over 1,000 miles to both the east and west.

In England a plan was drawn up to send Spitfires to replace the Hurricanes, which, outclassed by the Me109 fighters, suffered heavy losses as they struggled to defend the beleaguered islanders. Operation Spotter sent by ship 16-crated Spitfires, along with their pilots, to Gibraltar, where the aircraft were erected on the quay under the cover of darkness, away from the prying eyes of those loyal to the axis forces. The assembled aircraft were then lifted onto the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle. The carrier sailed the Spitfires to within 600 miles of Malta, where they were flown off, by pilots who had never before flown off an aircraft carrier, the Spitfire had also never previously taken off from a carrier, and these were making there first untested flight having just been assembled. 

The first attempt ended in failure, as the additional external fuel tanks beneath the aircrafts fuselage were found not to be providing the extra fuel that was required for such a long flight. A return was made to Gibraltar to await experts to be sent from England to resolve the problem. It was said that one man who was sent left in such a hurry that he was still wearing evening dress underneath his flying suit when he arrived. The problem resolved, the operation was on again and 15 Spitfires, (one had been cannibalised to provide spare parts) completed the daring flight. All landed safely at Takali airfield.

Two of those first pilots, Plt Off Paul Brennan and Plt Off Ray Hesselyn, were later encouraged to record their personal experiences, a detailed and exciting story which was first published in 1943 as Spitfires Over Malta.

The original much sought after book Spitfires Over Malta has been out of print since the war. Paul Lovell has now reprinted it in its entirety, with additional information provided about Operation Spotter, which could not be released during the wartime period. The 370-page paperback also includes extracts from the diary of Plt Off Peter Nash until he was shot down and killed. In addition there are profiles of the sixteen pilots from first hand accounts, official and family records, including many photographs not previously published.

Out of the 16 Operation Spotter pilots, six were killed on Malta and three others died before the final victory was won, including Paul Brennan. An account of the Pedestal Convoy in August 1942, which finally provided the island with sufficient food supplies to prevent it having to surrender through starvation, completes the heroic story.

The 16 Operation Spotter Pilots Profiled

    • Sqd Ldr Stanley Grant
    • Flt Lt Philip Heppell
    • Flt Lt Norman Macqueen
    • Flt Sgt David Ferraby
    • Flt Sgt Ian Cormack
    • Flt Sgt Paul Brennan
    • Flg Off Norman Lee
    • Plt Off Peter Nash
    • Plt Off Kenric Murray
    • Plt Off James Guerin
    • Plt Off John Plagis
    • Plt Off Douglas Leggo
    • Sgt John Tayleur
    • Sgt Raymond Hesselyn
    • Sgt Robert Sim
    • Flt Lt John Yarra

The book Isbn:9780955364655 is printed on silk art paper in B5 format (240mm x 170mm). With a stunning cover image from the aviation artist Robert Taylor and includes 100 black and white images. Retail Price: £15.99. Contact: David Morgan [email protected]

Robert James Sim

Robert James Sim

Robert James Sim

Robert Sim was born on June 28th 1919 to parents Peter and Lilas Sim, in Gisborne, a town on the north eastern side of New Zealand’s North Island. He attended Gisborne High School, and, as a keen sportsman he represented the school at both cricket and rugby. On leaving school he went to work as a Cost Clerk at the Cook Hospital And Charitable Aid Board also in Gisborne. He applied to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force in September 1939, the same month that war had been declared.


On October 26th 1940 at the age of 21, he enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, (Serial No. NZ403995) and started at the Ground Training Station at Levin as an Airman Pilot Under Training. Here, after medical examinations and being kitted out with his uniform, he learnt the basics of service life that included lectures on navigation, morse code, airmanship, plus marching, drill and discipline. The course of around six weeks duration, led to the next stage at No.3 Elementary Flying Training School based at Harewood near Christchurch, where Robert began learning the skills required to fly an aircraft.

The course at Harewood was of around eight weeks where Robert was given flying instruction in their brightly painted yellow de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes. On December 4th Robert flew solo for the first time, all pilots needed to complete at least 25 hours of flying time solo, out of the 50 hours, which were flown during this course.

In mid January 1941, after a weeks leave, Robert’s training continued at the No.2 Flying Training School at Woodbourne, situated on the South Island, 5 miles from the town of Blenheim. At the school pilots flew the Harvard II, a faster monoplane aircraft with a retractable undercarriage, variable pitch propeller, and an enclosed cockpit, very beneficial with increased flying speeds now of around 170mph. The training also introduced for the first time the added danger to the pilots of night flying exercises. After around eight weeks the Chief Flying Officer tested each pilot’s flying ability, this was followed by a written examination, the successful pilots were later presented with their ‘Wings’ badge, which Robert received in early March 1940. An additional advanced part of the course included formation flying, cross-country navigation and firing the Harvard’s wing mounted machine guns at a ground and an air towed drogue target.

On the completion of the course on April 12th Robert was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Pilot, and at the end of the month on the 29th he began his embarkation to the UK via Canada arriving on attachment to the RAF in England on June 29th 1941. Before he left for service abroad Robert married his fiancée Patricia Tooman from Mairoa, Auckland. In June the Personnel Reception Centre at Uxbridge allocated Robert to continue his training with No.58 Operational Training Unit based in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Scotland, where he flew the Supermarine Spitfire for the first time. At the end of the course he was retained as a staff pilot where he remained until his posting to an operational squadron.

In September 1941 Robert joined 130 Squadron based at Portreath, Cornwall, flying the MK IIA and later the MK V Spitfire in defence of the counties of Cornwall and Devon. On November 1st he was promoted to Flight Sergeant. Robert flew 29 operations, including 18 convoy patrols, seven scrambles to intercept enemy aircraft and four fighter sweeps into occupied France. Having volunteered for service outside of the UK, he was chosen as one of the Spitfire pilots to be sent to Malta. Robert joined 249 Squadron based at Takali, and flew his first operation over the island on March 14th when he carried out a search at sea for a shot down allied pilot, whilst in the company of three other Spitfires, they subsequently intercepted and attacked several Me109 fighters. By April 13th there were very few Spitfires still serviceable and consequently several pilots including Robert were transferred to 185 Squadron (B Flight). Here he flew the Hawker Hurricanes that were available, based at Hal Far airfield until further Spitfire reinforcements could be flown to the island.

On May 11th Robert attacked and damaged an Me109 causing it to emit black smoke, 3 Spitfires that attacked it immediately afterwards finally shot it down. He was also involved in interceptions of enemy aircraft that were carried out on the 15th, when, flying with Sgt Jack Yarra, the pair attacked seven Me109s and 4 Macchis Italian fighters, returning only when they had run out of ammunition, Yarra claiming two destroyed. On the 19th in conjunction with Flt Lt Keith Lawrence Robert fired at a group of Italian bombers and their escorting fighters, although no claim was made by either. The following day, and now flying as part of ‘A’ Flight, Robert’s aircraft ran out of fuel after an interception and he was forced to make an emergency landing at Takali airfield.

The 185 squadron diary mentions that on the 23rd Robert was ill with ‘Malta Dog,’ the vomiting and diarrhoea sickness which affected so many on Malta:

‘Quite a lot of chaps are down with that insidious malady “Malta Dog” Flt Sgt Sim, is the latest victim-he even looks like a dog’.

The diary entry on Monday June 15th for a recovered Robert also describes his first success:

‘F/Sgt Sim was beetling along after an 88 who was making rapidly for home. He was having some difficulty in catching the 88 when he noticed another one flying in formation with him. The pilot in the 88, noticing the evil look on F/Sgt Sim’s face immediately buzzed off, hotly pursued by “Simmie”, who proceeded to shoot great pieces off the enemy bomber. However, the aforementioned pieces kept bouncing off Sim’s Spitfire and tore some holes in various places, but did not prevent the destruction of the JU 88, or the safe return of F/Sgt Sim.’

Robert landed the Spitfire (BR126/GL-O) wheels up at Luqa airfield with an overheating engine caused by a glycol coolant leak.

The Squadron diary on the June 16th shows that a posting back to the UK had come through for him, although it was several weeks before he was actually able to leave the island. June had also seen another promotion for Robert to the rank of Warrant Officer.

Fellow Operation Spotter pilot, David Ferraby, recalled one of Robert’s favourite expressions he would repeat was “our old mate the wily Hun” referring to the German pilots. June 21st saw another victory for Robert over ‘the wiley Hun,’ whilst flying Spitfire BR321/GL-D, he shot down an Me109 that was attacking another Spitfire, having fired at it a 12 second burst of both canon and machine gun fire. Robert’s third and final victory on Malta occurred on July 12th when, en route to escort in a Sunderland Flying Boat, flying the same Spitfire as during his previous success, he shot down into the sea another Me109 fighter. The following day, after a total of 70 sorties, he was stood down from operations to await his return to the UK.

Before his return the Squadron Leader endorsed his Log Book recommending a medal, which sadly was never awarded:

‘Recommend that this pilot be recommended for DFC when he has destroyed one more enemy aircraft. A very reliable section leader’

On July 23rd he started the journey back to England, flying the first stage as the second pilot in a Hudson aircraft to Gibraltar, continuing after a stop over, he arrived back in the UK on July 29th where he enjoyed a period of leave.

In August 1942 Robert was appointed as an instructor on Spitfires with 52 Operational Training Unit based at Aston Down in Gloucestershire. During his time as an instructor he was promoted again in October 1942 to a Pilot Officer. The following year in early May 1943, and now with the rank of Flying Officer, he was posted to 616 Squadron flying the high altitude Spitfire VI from Ibsley, near Ringwood, Hampshire. Also at 616 was Squadron Leader ‘Laddie’ Lucas who Robert had flown with in Malta. Their role consisted of fighter patrols, the escorting of bombers, fighter sweeps over northern France and strikes on enemy shipping. It was during one of these last types of missions that Robert lost his life.

In the early hours of June 15th 1943 four German minesweepers followed by an armed trawler, were heading at around 8 knots through the English Channel close to the Channel Islands, destined for Cherbourg, where they would be protected during the day by the port’s anti aircraft defences. At the time two sections of MK VI Spitfires were in the air, eight from 616 Squadron in an armed reconnaissance role seeking out enemy shipping, and eight from 504 Squadron as their escort. The fighters had rendezvoused with four bomb-ladened Westland Whirlwinds from 263 squadron that had taken off at 05:40am from the south coast airfield of Warmwell Dorset. The group, led by Squadron Leader ‘Laddie’ Lucas of 616 Squadron, then flew out towards France, the four Whirlwinds in line abreast behind 616 Squadron, with two sections of Spitfires from 504 on either side of them, all flying at sea level to avoid being detected by radar.

At around 6:20am the German ships were spotted 3 miles north east of Sark, they were sailing line astern, in two pairs, with the armed trawler approximately 700 meters behind them. One of the front pair was the minesweeper M483. Over 62 meters in length, her two coal-fired boilers powered two 900hp engines, which gave her a speed of over 17 knots, she carried a crew number of around 80 men. She was heavily armed with a 10.5cm gun at the stern, a 3.7cm gun at her bow, and seven 2cm anti-aircraft guns along her deck.

The Spitfires of 616 squadron attacked first diving down at very low level, their cannon fire seen to be tearing into the ships. Then the four Whirlwinds, each with two 250lb bombs beneath their wings, came in low from the left hand side, the bombs had an eleven second delay to allow the aircraft to clear the area before the explosions. One of the Whirlwinds, flown by Australian, Pilot Officer Max Cotton DFC, dropped his two bombs from around mast height ensuring that they would hit or be very close to the minesweeper M483, one of the other pilots saw them splash amidships of the vessel.

The anti-aircraft fire from the defending gunners was fierce and, at the low level flown by the aircraft, very accurate. Plt Off Cotton’s Whirlwind was struck near the cockpit area, possibly by a 40mm shell, setting the aircraft on fire, the aircraft with its pilot plunged down to break up on the surface of the sea. The M483 had been severely damaged, having been struck by more than one bomb, and sank quickly approximately 10 miles north east of the island of Sark. The four other ships in the convoy were all damaged during the air strike but were able to escape to safety.

The accurate return anti-aircraft fire also hit Flying Officer Robert Sim, who was flying Spitfire MkVI (BR319/YQ-C) on his 97th wartime operation. The 616 Squadron Operations Record Book stated that:

‘The attacks were pressed home to a point blank range and strikes were obtained on the ships by all pilots. During the attack F/O Sim flying as Yellow 3 was heavily hit by a Bofor shell and his aircraft was seen to catch fire. He pulled away from the formation and was last seen at 300 feet with his aircraft on fire and a dead propeller, going down towards the water in a shallow dive. No one saw him ditch nor yet to bale out.’

The name of Flying Officer Robert James Sim, aged 23, is listed on the Air Forces Memorial, for those with no known grave at Runnymede in Surrey, England. On panel 198. His name is also written within the Rolls of Honour, held in the Hall of Memories at the New Zealand National War Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand