1942 and the island of Malta is battling for survival. The threat of invasion by Axis forces is increasing as air raids wear down its defence. Entering this maelstrom is Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross, an RAF photo-reconnaissance pilot.

In 1942, Britain was clinging to the island of Malta since it was critical to keeping Allied supply lines open. The Axis also wanted it for their own supply lines. Plenty of realistic reenactments and archival combat footage as the British are beseiged and try to fight off the Luftwaffe. Against this background, a Royal Air Force reconnaissance photographer's romance with a local girl is endangered as he tries to plot enemy movements.—Derek Picken <[email protected]>

On Malta while in transit to Cairo, Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross (Sir Alec Guinness), an aerial reconnaissance specialist, finds himself assigned to duty on the beleaguered island. Located only fifty-seven miles from the coast of Sicily, Malta was a key Naval and Air base during World War II. During one of the frequent air raids, he meets a local girl and wants to marry her. Life is precarious however and the local population in particular suffered severe hardships. Apart from the daily bombings, they faced severe food shortages with only limited access to the island by Allied convoys. In 1942, King George VI awarded the island the George Cross, the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross.—garykmcd

1942 and the British colony of Malta is under siege. The threat of invasion by Axis forces is increasing as air raids wear down its defence. Entering this maelstrom is Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross, an RAF photo-reconnaissance pilot. While not a natural combatant his work proves invaluable.—grantss