Damage from Massive Air Raid on Grand Harbour, Malta
42 civilians were killed this afternoon in a single massive air raid on Grand Harbour. 18 JU-88 bombers with a 40-strong Messerchmitt fighter escort swooped down the north coast just before two o’clock this afternoon. They dropped bombs on Valletta, Ricasoli, Zabbar, Corradino, Marsa, Hamrun and Paola, as well as outlying districts. Densely populated areas of Paola were particularly badly hit: 34 are reported dead in this area alone.
The sheer numbers of aircraft made it impossible for Malta’s Ack Ack gunners to prevent them reaching their targets. It is estimated that over 150 bombs of up to 500kg were dropped in the raid, which lasted well over an hour. Airfields were also heavily bombed: many bombs fell on Luqa and the Safi strip, and at least 14 High Explosive bombs are reported on Hal Far.