AHQ Malta and other aircraft reached the island during the summer of 1942, the defensive and offensive capabilities of AHQ Malta rose. On 1 July 1942, AHQ Malta had approximately 200 aircraft, about half of which were Spitfires. Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park took over command of AHQ Malta On 15 July 1942. At this time, the island provided critical operational air bases for the Allies with proximity to Axis shipping lanes and the battlefields of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Pantelleria, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and mainland Italy during World War II. There were three main airfields on Malta known as RAF Hal
Battus of Malta Battus of Malta In Greco-Roman mythology, Battus () was a semi-legendary king of Malta who offered sanctuary to Anna Perenna, the sister of Dido, the Carthaginian founder in Virgil's Aeneid. Battus features briefly in Ovid's Fasti as the protector of Anna Perenna. After Dido's tragic death, Anna finds refuge from her brother Pygmalion on Malta, with Battus the king of the island and a wealthy host. The "fertile island" of Melite, near Cossyra, provided hospitality to Anna, with Battus saying that ‘"This land, however small, is yours."’ Battus would have continued to provide sanctuary to Anna and her companions, but