Fascinating book sheds new light on Malta’s early wartime experience

 NEWS   New documents unearthed from the British national archives, new information kept secret for over seventy years, and a new perspective about Malta’s role in the discovery of radar form part of a new book set to make a little bit of history. Malta’s Early Warning Systems during WWII tells the fascinating story of Malta’s pivotal role in radar’s full exploitation for the first time in history by Britain.
Fastidiously researched by Major Tony Abela, a former RAF telecommunications technician, the new publication uncovers and makes use of hundreds of secret documents which have until now been stacked away for seven decades in the National Archives of Britain.
Back in 1940 the invention of radar was pure magic; a painstaking achievement with consequences of unprecedented proportions. Far more than the atomic bomb, radar contributed to the Allied victory in the war. It was also the precursor of much modern technology. It is no overestimation to state that radar eventually changed the lives of millions, and that Malta played a pivotal role in the development and successful use of radar by the British.
The new publication narrates a story never told before. It is packed with meticulous detail and backed up with an amazing amount of military documentation revealed for the first time in decades. Moreover, it dispels some of the myths about Malta’s early wartime experiences, and certainly makes some new bold proposals for a revision of our history books.
The book will be launched on Saturday 29 March by the Prime Minister Dr Joseph Muscat at Malta Air Traffic Services (MATS) Dingli radar station. The book launch will be part of the events MATS will be organising to commemorate the 35th Anniversary since the Maltese took full responsibilities of the Malta Air Traffic Services, and since then, provided a very high standard of Air Navigation Services for Malta’s Flight information Region and Luqa Airport.
Next weekend Malta Air Traffic Services Ltd will be opening to the general public its Dingli Radar Complex, including the WWII underground complex used by the first radar in Malta 75 years ago on 27 March 1939. Dingli Local Council will be organising other attraction and stalls around the MATS Dingli radar. The book will be available for purchase from one of these Stalls.
Malta’s Early Warning Systems during WWII (SKS Publication)  will also be on sale at all major bookstores at the price of €20.

[Sources: www.independent.com.mt and book launch Facebook page]