The failure to capture Malta
Beginning in 1940 and continuing through 1942 German and Italian naval and air units besieged the island of Malta, a British possession in the Mediterranean which was critical to controlling the sea lanes to North Africa. British ships and aircraft on the island were in a position to attack Axis ships carrying supplies and troops to North Africa. In some ways the battle for Malta was similar to the Battle of Britain; if the Germans and their Italian allies could gain control of the sea lanes long enough to execute an amphibious and airborne invasion the island could be taken and the allied troops in North Africa could be isolated. The Germans concentrated on bombing the islands defenses and port facilities.
The RAF and the Royal Navy defended the island against the Luftwaffe and the Italian fleet, as well as the Italian Air Force. Over three thousand bombing raids were launched against Malta, supported by fighters, and the losses suffered by both sides were heavy. During the bombing attacks, the Royal Navy engaged Italian and German naval units while defending the convoys from Gibraltar which kept the island supplied. In November of 1942 the defeat of the Germans at El Alamein led to a shift to the protection of German forces in Tunisia, and the attacks on Malta eased. Malta was then reinforced and began launching attacks of its own on Axis ships carrying supplies to the troops in North Africa. The failure of the Germans to capture Malta led to their loss of North Africa.