AHQ Malta AHQ Malta ( Air Headquarters Malta or Air H . Q . Malta ) was an overseas command of the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) established on December 28 , 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd . Lloyd had previously been named Air Officer Commanding in Malta on 1 June 1941 . RAF Mediterranean had been based in Malta under one designation or another seemingly throughout the interwar period , spending some time known as ' Mediterranean Group . ' Previously during 1940 Malta ' s air defence force had been built up from " Faith , " " Hope " , and " Charity , " the three famous Sea Gladiator s of the Hal Far Fighter Flight . Initially during the early stage of the Siege of Malta ( World War II ) , Malta was not much of an offensive threat early in the North African Campaign , but was considered an essential Allied stronghold as exemplified by Operation Pedestal and the eventual assignment of Air Vice Marshal Keith Park to defend the island . On April 20 , 1942 , the USS Wasp delivered 47 Spitfires to Malta and the German Luftwaffe promptly destroyed 30 of them on the same day . Nonetheless , as these and other aircraft reached the island during the summer of 1942 , the defensive and offensive capabilities of AHQ Malta were significantly fortified . On July 1 , 1942 , AHQ Malta had approximately 200 aircraft , about half of which were Spitfires . Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park took over command of AHQ Malta On July 15 , 1942 . At this time , the island provided critical operational air bases for the Allies with proximity to Axis shipping lanes and the battlefields of Egypt , Libya , Tunisia , Pantelleria , Sicily , Sardinia , Corsica , and mainland Italy during World War II . There were three main airfields on Malta known as RAF Hal Far , RAF Luqa , and RAF Ta ' Kali with an intermediate landing area known as the Safi Dispersal Strip . During the month of October , 1942 when the Second Battle of El Alamein was being waged , Allied forces were credited with the destruction of 59 % of the German tonnage and 45 % of the Italian tonnage shipped to Rommel ' s Axis forces in North Africa . In large part the result of AHQ Malta and the British and American heavy bombers of No . 205 Group , this attrition was a significant aspect of Rommel ' s defeat . In February 1943 , AHQ Malta became a major sub - command of the Mediterranean Air Command ( MAC ) established at the Casablanca Conference in January . Order of battle July 1943 . When the Allies invaded Sicily ( Operation Husky ) on July 10 , 1943 , AHQ Malta directed the units below . Notes : SAAF = South African Air Force ; Det . = Detachment . Some other squadrons and flights from the Northwest African Tactical and Coastal Air Forces were detached to Malta prior to the invasion of Sicily including Nos . 92 and 93 Squadrons and the 31st FIghter Group with Spitfires , 47th Bombardment Group with A - 20s , and the 57th and 79th Fighter Groups with P - 40s . Some famous Aces stationed on Malta were Rhodesian Johnny Plagis and the Canadian fighter pilots George " Screwball " Beurling and Wally McLeod . After 1944 , until British withdrawal . Air Vice Marshal R . M . Foster took over command of AHQ Malta on March 26 , 1944 and Air Vice Marshal K . B . Lloyd took over on October 19 , 1944 , commanding through the remainder of World War II and into June 1947 . AHQ Malta had ten other commanders until it was disbanded on June 30 , 1968 and its units were absorbed by Air Commander Malta . Air Commander Malta assumed direct command of RAF units assigned to Malta . The post ceased to exist with British withdrawal from Malta on 31 March 1979 .