Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast, Episode

335, Churchill wants war.

Last time we left off on June 14, 1940, just days after Italy's coming into the war,

and sending eight air raids on that day to let the Maltese and the British forces with

them know that the island would be added to the new Roman Empire.

This was Il Duce making come true his famous fifth map, put up on a massive wall in 1934

along the Via del Foti Imperiale, or the avenue that biceps the ancient imperial forum of

the Roman emperors that showed what countries his new empire would consist of.

Also on the fifth map was Albania, Croatia, the Balkans, France's Corsica and Nis, Greece,

and most of Eastern Africa.

Libya was subdued in 1934, Ethiopia in 1936, and Albania in 1939.

Now it was Maltese turn.

Though it did not have the honor of being listed on the map, per se, perhaps it was just assumed.

Back to the largest bombing attack on Maltese thus far, those peoples whose homes or apartments

had been destroyed now only owned the clothes on their back.

The ones that were still alive.

As mentioned, thousands of people had been leaving the coastline since the first air raid,

and one local outsmarty in everyone else I assume, he sat in the middle of a bomb crater,

as he must have deduced, bombs never land in the same place twice.

But such was the Maltese opinion of the Italians many returned to the coast a few weeks later,

taking up residence as best they could.

Major planes would be met by locals with raised fists or other hand gestures.

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