| Club Run | |
|---|---|
| Part of The Mediterranean campaign of the Second World War | |
 Map of the Western Mediterranean | |
| Type | Aircraft ferry operations |
| Location | Western Mediterranean |
| Planned by | Royal Navy and Royal Air Force |
| Commanded by | Admiral James Somerville (July 1940 – March 1942) Vice-Admiral Edward Syfret (March 1942 – 1943) |
| Objective | Deliver aircraft to Malta |
| Outcome | Allied victory |
Club Run was an informal name for aircraft ferry operations from Gibraltar to Malta during the Siege of Malta from 1940 to 1942 during the Second World War. Malta was half-way between Gibraltar to Alexandria and had the only harbour controlled by the British in the area. Malta had docks, repair facilities, reserves and stores, which had been built up since the cession of the island to Britain in 1814. Malta had become an important staging post for aircraft and a base for air reconnaissance over the central Mediterranean.[1]
The Axis powers Italy and Germany made several attempts from 1941 to 1942 to either force the British military authorities on the island to surrender or to destroy its effectiveness as a military base. The island was a forward base from which Axis supplies to their North African armies could be attacked. It is a measure of Malta's importance that Britain reassigned fighter aircraft from home defence.[2]
- ^ Playfair 1954, p. 29.
- ^ Roskill 1957, pp. 293–295, 298.