The Information Officer

HISTORICAL NOTE

The fly-in of new Spitfires on May 9, 1942, marked the turning point in Malta’s fortunes. The following day, sixty-three enemy aircraft were shot down over the island. A German broadcast declared, “Malta can be reduced by other means.” It never was. In 1964 the island finally gained independence from Great Britain.

While trying to remain as true to the period as possible, I have, inevitably, taken certain liberties for the purposes of the story. My apologies for these, and for any other errors I’m not yet aware of. The majority of the characters in the book are entirely fictitious. Those who aren’t bear no relation to their real-life counterparts, whose impeccable wartime records speak for themselves.