Our Lady of Victories and the Nativity of Mary
Our Lady of Victories is a public holiday celebrated in Malta on 8 September and commemorates the end of three sieges of the Maltese archipelago.
The Great Siege of Malta in 1565 by the Ottoman Empire. On September 8, a relief force of 7 thousand arrived from Sicily, lifting the siege in a decisive battle. The Siege of Valletta by the Maltese against French forces, left behind after Napoleon took Malta. The French soldiers moved to Valletta during the Maltese uprising. The French surrendered on September 8, 1800. The British assisted the Maltese in removing the French. Thus, becoming the new masters of Malta.
World War II – 1942 – Malta is closed off and bombed daily from Sicily. Hitler had already drawn up plans to invade Malta. There are no fighter aircraft on Malta, and no fuel, even if there were. The British Operation Pedestal was the last major attempt to save Malta.
Malta had been closed off for most of a year, with only occasional visits from submarines and some relief ships. People are starving. Operation Pedestal was the last chance to get an oil tanker to Malta. However, most of the convoy is discovered and attacked. Of the four tankers, only one has survived: the American tanker, the USS Ohio. Two British pocket carriers are just far enough out that the Spitfires would be landing in Malta with hardly any fuel. The Spitfires are landing in Malta, immediately refueling, and then sent back up to greet the afternoon bombing run from Sicily. Imagine the surprise, bombers now greeted by swarms of Spitfires. Down the bombers went into the sea. Three days later, Hitler canceled the invasion of Malta. The WWII siege of Malta was lifted.
The tanker is fondly remembered in Malta, where, to this day, it is considered the ship that made it possible for fighter planes to defend the beleaguered island. The day is also connected to the Nativity of Mary, and feasts are celebrated in Xagħra, Naxxar, Senglea, and Mellieħa.
