The years of World War II brought about hardship after hardship for countries all over the world and, despite our nation’s tiny size, Malta was no exception.

Rather, Malta’s known to have sustained the most bombing attacks throughout the war, having endured a whopping 6,700 tonnes of bombs spread over 154 days and nights.

One day, however, was particularly harsher than the rest…

Exactly 80 years ago today, Malta woke up to experience its most devastating attacks. 7th April, 1942 brought about the largest air bombing our country has ever witnessed, with 280 tonnes of bombs hitting the heart of Valletta.

Usually, most air attacks were directed to the Grand Harbour in a bid to stop the Allies’ ships. On 7th April, however, the bombs were directly targeting civilians. According to reports from Berlin, said attack was a deadly attempt to destroy the heart of Malta’s government.

The air raid lasted a whopping 11 hours and 40 minutes and killed 26 soldiers and 13 civilians, the youngest of which were just four years old.

Apart from the bloodshed, this attack destroyed a lot of Valletta’s infrastructure, with the Royal Opera House falling victim to one of the bombs.

Other destroyed buildings included the Market (is-Suq tal-Belt), the Auberge de France, the Auberge d’Aragon, the Auberge d’Italie, the Governor’s Palace, the King George V Hospital, many churches, and countless residential buildings.

It’s estimated that around 70 per cent of Valletta’s buildings were completely destroyed or suffered major damages as a result of the air raid.

Countless civilians emerged from their underground shelters only to find their homes and everything they held dear reduced to rubble.

Without a doubt, one of Malta’s darkest days!

Main Images: Facebook/Malta and International Football Collection

                      Facebook/The National Archives of Malta