AVM Keith Park.............................

[Sploosher]

thought you might like to see this.



Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park, commanding the RAF squadrons on Malta, climbs away in his own personal Supermarine Spitfire Mk V, after a ceremony to mark the opening of Malta's new airfield at Safi, May 1943.

I sent this to Wedgy, and he suggested posting it here

[34053]

That's an amazing 'piece of history' there, Sploosher. Where did you find it?

AVM Keith Park's success in winning the 'Battle for Malta' had also (as in the' Battle of Britain') mainly gone unrecognised.
Park replaced AVM Hugh Lloyd as AOC in Malta. Park arrived on 14 July 1942 by flying boat, landing in the midst of an air raid. Unlike Park, Lloyd was not liked by his men and had been criticised for his defensive tactics and for the aircraft losses suffered on the ground. Park changed all this to an offensive operation.

The impact of Park's methods resulted in instant success. Malta went on to develop from a besieged Island to become, in 1943, a powerful offensive base for the Allied invasion of Sicily in July that year.
AVM Keith Park left Malta, to return to Cairo, on 6th February 1944. An article in the 'Times of Malta' on 4th February stated 'Park left Malta carrying with him the good wishes and gratitude of the people..............He was a born fighter and commander of men, a fearless leader and a man of courage and vision............'.

PW

[Sploosher]

PW

I found it here

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1804707@N25/rules/

one of my new flickr contacts has this picture, and other interesting ones, posted in the group rules ( the about tab )for

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1804707@N25/

some cracking pics there