As you may know I am moving so cant get to my stuff but here is some bits from Eagle19...

Operation Hercules
The original plans for the invasion of Malta were hatched in 1941 and was part of Hitler's grand Mediterranean strategy which included operation Mercury and Felix (discussed below).
The invasion was planned to take place in 1942, with a combined air and sea borne assault. The primary objectives being the airfields that the RAF were using as a base for bombers and attack aircraft to intercept German supply ships destined for North Africa and the resupply of the Afrika Korps.
The airborne assault was to be made by men of the 1st Parachute Division with reinforcements from the 4th & 5th Parachute Regiments under the command of Major von der Heydte. This force was also to include men of the Italian Folgore and Superba airborne division's.
The whole seaborne element of the operation was dependant on ships of the Italian Navy, which had suffered already during the war at the hands of the Royal Navy, at places like Cape Matapan and Cape Spartivento. Hitler believed that they would be reluctant to go into action against them again.
General Kurt Student and Field Marshall Albert Kesselring persuaded Hitler that Malta had to be seized due to the disruption to badly needed supplies destined for North Africa.
Then fate took a hand and Rommels Afrika Korps took Tobruk in June 1942, Hitler then decided to postpone Hercules, not wanting to lose any hard to replace forces.
Hitler was right to call off the operation as coded messages sent by enigma were being intercepted at Bletchley Park, which revealed the plans of operation Hercules and the garrison on Malta was reinforced on June 16th 1942.
Maybe Malta would have become another Crete. Who knows?.....


Operation Felix
Operation Felix was reliant on General Franco entering the war on the side on the Axis powers. Plans were drawn up in the event of Franco's co-operation with the Germans. This included the capture of Gibraltar, the Canary islands and the Portuguese Cape Verde islands.
Gibraltar was the doorway to the Mediterranean and home to a large Royal Navy fleet, capture Gibraltar and in effect you could shut off the Mediterranean.
The plan called for an attack by Spanish forces from the mainland and a combined german air and sea assault.
As it happened, Franco was very adamant about being drawn into the war, especially after their own civil war in the late thirties.
This plan like many before it was put on the shelf.

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"Watch that Fu*ker, he'll 'ave someones eye out!" King Harold at Hastings 1066.