NOTES on the WAR NEWS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 26 June 1940, Page 7

NOTES on the WAR NEWS

Malta Defends Herself FAMOUS MEDIEVAL SIEGE Life can hardly be dull nowadays in Malta. It is only about, 00 miles from the nearest i>oint in Sicily, and Italian air raids have been frequent. Maybe even the famous catacombs are coming iu handy as air raid shelters, though so far the air raids have apparently not done a ’ great deal of damage, and the forces in Malta offer determined defence. Warfare is no new experience in Malta’s long and troubled history. In fart, war lias raged round its shores on and off since the dint begilinings of history, and it withstood one of the most famous sieges of all time. This little island of Do square miles has been held iu turn by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Italians. Knights of St. Johu, Freuch, and finally British, who, with the approval of the inhabitants, annexed it by the Treaty of Paris in 1814, and brought it to its present import-

The Great Siege Tile most stirring chapters in the history of Malta tell of how the Knights of St. John frustrated the hordes of besieging Turks in 1565. The story of the knights began with the conducting of a hospice for pilgrims iu Jerusalem, but at ihe lime of the Cru-

sades the movement assumed a military side to its character.* After the Christians wore driven from the Holy Land the knights established themselves in Rhodes, were ultimately defeated there by the Turks aud, .as an upshot, were given Malta by Charles V. Roman Emperor aud King of Spain. There the knights settled down and accumulated wealth by war and by privateering agaiust. the Turks and choir allies. Some 20 years after their arrival they were attacked by Arabs, who ravaged the neighbouring island jf Gozo, but were repulsed in their attempt on Malta by cavalry led by Upton, an English knight. Some years later came realization that an attempt to exterminate them would be made by the Sultan of the Turks, and every preparation was made to meet an attack. Odds Of Four To One

The great siege of Malta, which made the island and its knights famous, and. chocked like advance of Mohammedan power in southern and western Europe,, began iu May, 1565. The lighting men of the defenders are variously recorded as from 6100 to 0121. and the roll included one English knight. The Mohammedan forces were estimated at between 29,000 and 38,500; The Sultan placed liis troops under the veteran Mustapha, and his galleys under a young relative, Piali. He hesitated to make either of them supreme, and ordered them to await the arrival of Algerian allies before making their final .plans. Piali, however, against the advice of Mustapha, induced the council of war to attack the town of St. Elmo to provide him with a safe anchorage for his ships in all weather. Heroic Defence

This strategical blunder was turned to the best advantage iby La Val'lette, leader of the knights, who so prolonged the heroic defence of St. Elmo -that the Turks lost 7000 killed and as many wounded, 'before exterminating the 1200 defenders, who fell at their posts.

Meanwhile the attackers had lost valuable time before assaulting- their main objective, the castle of St. Angelo and its fortifications. The subsequent siege of ithus fort was marked by the greatest of bravery on 'both sides. The knights and their Maltese troops

fought for death or victory, without asking or giving quarter. Finally, four months after .the first attack was launched, the Turks were driven to their ships.

As a result of this gallant success he knightly order reached the pinnacle of its success, and new knights flocked :o be enrolled from the flower of the iobility of Europe. La Vallette made Liis name immortal by making Valetta, still the main town, a magnificent example of fortification, unrivalled in the world. The kuightsi enjoyed more glorious years before their power finally waned, after which the island was held by Napoleon and later blockaded and taken by the British after the Maltese had rebelled against the French. Of recent years Britain has maintained at Malta a garrison of about 5000 of aLI arms, plus One battalion of the King’s Own Malta Regiment of territorials. If it ever falls to their lot to withstand a siege, which seems unlikely. they will be heartened by the magnificent example of the Knights of St. John. The Man France Lost There is something about Paul Rey□aud, Premier of France, which marks bim above all bis political contemporaries as a traditional Frenchman, wrote the Paris correspondent of the “New York Times” recently. He is uot a party leader. He is neither doctrinaire nor a modern sectarian, though he is more up to date than most of his countrymen. He belongs rather to that long line of statesmen and churchmen of France who knew how to use the sword as well as the pen aud the tongue in the service of their country. Among the Frenchman of fiction he might fill the role of Aramis, that smallest, quickest, deepest and most ambitious of the Three Musketeers. His affability aud courtesy are real and uot affected as they are sometimes among men engaged In modern politics.

There is tough fibre iu this little man who has been in his day lawyer, business man. soldier, financier, traveller. lecturer, politician, and Minister in half a dozen Cabinets, and apparently successful iu everything he has done.

More thaw once, indeed, far more frequenlly than most people know, M. Reynaud has met reverses both in his public and private life. The road of bis ambition has not [>een easy, because lie has preferred not to take the easy road. liut each, time he bas liglitheartedly risen above his defeats and has gone smilingly forward to new adventure. Ducking For Consul

When a Danish steamer arrived at Santos (Brazil), the German Consul boarded her and demanded her papers, explaining that Germany, following occupation of Denmark, bad granted “protection” to all Danish ships, reported the Sao Paulo correspondent of “The Times.” The Danish captain refused to comply with the request, and eventually told the Consul to get off his ship. Hut the Consul was obdurate, so without more ado the captain ordered two of Ufa crew to heave br*h overboard. The order was carried out with gusto, and llie Consul fouud himself in the water in midstream. 8o far ns is known, be did not repeat bis request for tbe ship’s papers.