Supermarine Spitfire. At Royal Air Force's service. Part seven. The Battle of Malta, part one.

 

During January 1942 the first Westland-built Spitfire flew for the first time, pushing the number of manufactured-Spitfires to more than 3300 at the end of the year. By June 1942 there were 59 Spitfire Mk.V squadrons based in Great Britain, and seven additional more in the Mediterranean. In August there were no less than 42 Spitfire Mk. V squadrons to cover the Dieppe Raid.
The Mk. V was the most numerous of the Spitfire variants and eventually equipped more than 100 Squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It saw action on every battle front were the RAF or Allied' air forces were present.
By 1942 the threat of a land invasion of England fell considerably and the main focus of the war turned to the USSR and the Mediterranean. It was in Malta, where by the spring 1942 the defence of that island was becoming critical. Only the Spitfires could challenge the German fighters on equal terms, so the first tropicalized Spitfires Mk. Vs were delivered via the aircraft carriers such as USS Wasp or HMS Eagle. The first Spitfire flight in the Mediterranean took place earlier, on 7th March 1942 when 15 Mk. Vs took off from HMS Eagle aircraft carrier, off the coast of Algeria to land on Malta. 
Provided with a large and peculiar under-nose fairing over the Vokes Multi-vee filter for the carburetor air intake, the Mk. Vc was also equipped with enlarged oil and radiator intakes to optimize cooling in tropical and desert climates. The improve its range, three sizes of fuselage slipper tanks -30 gal. for short range, 90 gal. for long range and 170 gal. for ferrying could be attached in the belly. 
During the spring months of 1942 around 275 Mk. Vb and Mk. Vcs were delivered to Malta. In order to make possible the Spitfire to take off from an aircraft carrier wooden wedges were used to allow the Spitfires to leave the carrier with partial take-off flap settings, so, when the aircraft gained enough altitude, the pilot opened the flaps completely, the wedges fell out and then the flaps could be closed. 
On 20th April 1942 the code-named "Operation Calendar" took place, when a total of forty-seven Spitfires and pilots from Nos. 601 and 603 Squadrons flew from USS Wasp to Malta. In "Operation Bowery", on 9th May, additional 50 Spitfires flew from USS Wasp and 14 from HMS Eagle, sixty of them managed to land safely on Malta, with one Spitfire with a defective long range fuel tank landing back on USS Wasp, despite not having a tailhook. In "Operation Style", on 3rd June, further 32 Spitfires flew to Malta from HMS Eagle, although they were intercepted while on route and four were shot down. 

Sources:
1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 39 - Supermarine Spitfire in Action
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire_operational_history#Mediterranean_service