Wi Kadhafi tried to invade Malta in 70s or 80s ?

Orry

Donor
Monthly Donor
It would be nothing like the Falklands. Italy would be in on the act as well, and Malta is within range of Italian aircraft based on the mainland.

I guess he meant the result - though maybe Libya itself would not be a no target zone...
 
During the early 80's there were some incidents with the Libyan regarding Malta, basically someone thinked that near the island there were oil and at ENI (Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi...the italian national oil industry) was granted the permission to make analsis of the zone. The good colonnel decided that the supposed oil rich zone was on the Libyan national waters and resented the italian intrusion, so he dispatched some naval forces for send the civilian ship away, in response the Marina Militare send other ships who chased away the Libyan (just tense moments no shot fired) and the explorations confirmed that there wasn't oil in the zone...all this fracas for nothing.
Maybe the colonnel snaps and decide to invade, and frankly this is the only thing that can prompt Italy to intervene alone, in that years the libyans were heavy investors in the italian economy and made several in roads within the political circle, so many violations were forgotten but an attack at Malta is too much, too near Italy and too lesive of our interest
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Would the US let a then Soviet puppet seize a strategic island in the middle of the Med? It'll give the Soviets a opportunity to get a strategic warm water harbour in the middle of the Med, since they were supplying weapons to Libya, they could make a agreement with them, to use the harbour of, say, Valetta.

I don't think that the Yanks let the Soviets do that, or, even give them the opportunity. The Sixth Fleet would blow the Libyans straight out of the water.
The Yanks won't have to do anything, their Europeans allies will sort out the mess quickly.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
Hmm...could the Libyans time it with the Falklands War, so the British are distracted?

I think we were already playing games with the Libyan air force in the Gulf of Sidra by then. There would probably be a carrier group that could move and launch a counterattack pretty quickly.
 
Top