Size does not matter, but location does! And unfortunately for tiny Malta its location, bang in the
\nmiddle of the Mediterranean, placed it in the midst of the fighting during World War Two. Malta,
\nbeing a British colony, became a base for the Allied forces. This meant that it was targeted several
\ntimes by the Italians and Germans who frequently raided the island via air. Although Malta did not
\npresent itself as a formidable enemy on fighting grounds, much was done from over here to disrupt
\nHitler\u2019s and Mussolini\u2019s plans with many an enemy operation thwarted. And, most importantly,
\nmany an allied operation taking off and being successful. These operations were planned and
\ndirected from the Lascaris War Rooms, some 40 feet below ground the Upper Barracca Gardens in
\nValletta.
\nThe Lascaris War Rooms are frequently referred to as Malta\u2019s WWII best kept secret and thus, as you can
\nimagine, the way leading to their entry is anything but glamorous or eye catching. A bleak
\nunderground tunnel leads the way into the actual rooms. Once you get in it will feel like you went
\nback in time, and it doesn\u2019t take much imagination to feel the almost palpable stress and high
\ntension that these rooms have been witness to. The rooms you will find yourself into did not exist
\nprior to the Second World War; they were dug by British forces with the intention of becoming the
\ncentre for all operations based and departing from Malta together with the centre for the
\nadministration of the British Royal Navy\u2019s Mediterranean Fleet.
\nOne such operation was the well-known Operation Husky, It was the year 1943 and the invasion of
\nSicily by land and sea, known as Operation Husky, was in the hands of General Dwight Eisenhower,
\nan American Army general who was,\u00a0during World War II,\u00a0a five-star general in the United States
\nArmy and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe. This included
\n2,500 ships and 4,000 aircraft allied forces vehicles waiting for directions regarding take off on the
\nAfrican coast. The huge map of Sicily used in this operation that mapped enemy position is still one
\nof the impressive relics still visible today in these rooms. The success of this operation was also one
\nof the turning points of the Second World War as it led Italy to surrender.
\nOther interesting items also include bunk beds hooked to the wall; these were used by officers
\nneeding to rest during long shifts. Score Boards affixed on the walls of the Royal Air Force Sector
\nOperation Room; these were used to keep track of how many aircrafts and vessels were destroyed,
\ngiving the officers a moral boost. Working in the Lascaris War Rooms you\u2019d have found both British
\nand Maltese, men and women. The most important positions were however held by male British
\nofficers. Different workers per department were employed; this prevented any one employee having
\na complete picture of any operation being tackled. Maximum secrecy was the order of the day and
\nemployees were kept under a secrecy oath for the following 15 years.
\nFollowing the end of the War, the Lascaris War Rooms became the Head Quarters of the British Mediterranean Fleet. Some 15 years after, and for the following ten years, the NATO also used the Lascaris War Rooms to intercept Soviet Union submarine activity in the Mediterranean.
\nThe above is just a small introduction to what these underground interconnecting towels have heard
\nand seen. Join us for an in depth tour of the rooms from where the fighting services (detect, identify,
\nattack) were carried. We promise you won\u2019t need to know the Morse code for this one!<\/p>\n