Spitfire Ace downs four in a day

27th July 1942: The battle for the skies over Malta intensifies as the RAF now have enough Spitfires to mount a much stronger defence

Spitfire Mark VC, BP983 'T-B', of No. 249 Squadron RAF, Malta, 1942.

Malta continued to be the target of heavy bombing by the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica. The invasion of the island was no longer in prospect but it remained a crucial base at the crossroads of the Mediterranean.

Daily raids were an exhausting business for pilots defending the airf…