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.