Footsteps of WWII · Malta & Crete
National War Museum, Fort St Elmo, Valletta
Museum · 11 Jun 1940 – 20 Nov 1942
The story
Fort St Elmo guards the mouth of Grand Harbour at the tip of Valletta. The National War Museum, in the Old Drill Hall of Lower St Elmo, tells the story of the siege of Malta from June 1940 to November 1942. On the first day the island's only fighters were a few obsolete Gloster Sea Gladiators of the Hal Far Fighter Flight, later nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity. Between 20 March and 28 April 1942 the Luftwaffe flew 11,819 sorties and dropped 6,557 tons of bombs on Malta. On 15 April 1942 King George VI awarded the island the George Cross. The museum reopened in 2015 after the fort's restoration.
What to look for
The fuselage of Sea Gladiator N5520 'Faith', the George Cross itself, and the Willys jeep 'Husky' used by Eisenhower and by Roosevelt on his visit to Malta. The wider museum covers Malta's military history; the star-shaped fort walls overlook Grand Harbour.
Plan your visit
Adults €10, concessions €7.50, children €5.50. Open daily; hours change by season and the Sunday In Guardia parade delays general entry to 12:00. Closed 24, 25, 31 Dec, 1 Jan and Good Friday. WWI section closed until further notice. Check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Lascaris War Rooms, Valletta · 1 km
- Malta at War Museum, Birgu · 2 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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