Books about Hurricanes and Spitfires over Malta

[phasselgren]

Hi,

I´m planning to buy books about the air combats over Malta but I´m not sure about which I should choose.

‘Malta: The Hurricane Years, 1940-41’ (1987) and ‘Malta: The Spitfire Years’ (1992) both by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia

or

‘Hurricanes Over Malta’ (2002) and ‘Spitfires Over Malta´(2005) both by Brian Cull with Frederick Galea

I assume the last two are more up to date with the latest research but are there any bigger differences between them.

Cheers
Peter

[Graham Boak]

The first two have photographs integrated with the text, the later two have them in a subset on slightly better paper - and include a wartime colour photo of a Hurricane.

The 1942 book does present a more integrated picture, as it covers both the Hurricane and the Spitfire combats, and other activities, in a single chronological text. If you are primarily interested in the RAF's fighter battles, then the later two books are probably better, but for a wider view of operations look at the earlier two.

Other than that I don't think that there is a lot to choose between them. I'm quite happy to have all four.

[Antoine]

The first two are great.
You'll not need the other two
I must admit that I didn't get Spitfire over Malta, after the reading of Hurricane over Malta, as I didn't like the way the latter was written.
And apart some pilots comments, I didn't see anything that I've already known from the reading of Malta, the hurricane years.
To say the whole thing, I've been a little bit disapointed with the lattest book of mr Cull, Buffalo over Singapore among others.
This is my opinion, and I 'd like to hear some other comments about those books.

[phasselgren]

Thanks for the help Graham and Antoine. Just the information I needed.

Regarding Buffaloes over Singapore It was my first book by Brian Cull and I liked it. Especially because it had a lot of information about the involved New Zealanders (my main interest).

Cheers
Peter

[Antoine]

Well, the problem for me is the same as the one about the hurry and spit books:
Well before Buffalo over Singapore, I've read Bloody Shambles I and II.
Back in 93 for the first one, but I didn't have the feeling to have learnd something news when I read BOS last year.

[Jukka Juutinen]

Buffaloes over Singapore and Hurricanes over Singapore are excellent. I also have Bloody Shambles 2 and this is one am not going to keep. The first two have so many more pilot accounts than the BS2.

[Antoine]

The first two have so many more pilot accounts than the BS2

Sure, and that's normal, as they're talking only about Hurry or buffaloes performances. The BS1 & 2 approach is more general, but those book are far better "build".
You don't need to know 3 pages back it happen that you've forgot the day of the action you're reading about. And in general, they're much more precise in relation toi the events depicted.
But my reading of BS 1 & 2 is quite old, and I may have forgotten something.
I'd like to ear your comments about them.