The failure of Nazi Germany to seize the small British mediterranean colony of Malta was a significant strategic error. In 1941, Hitler decided not to invade the island and instead decided to put his energies into the seizure of Crete, which he believed would pose a threat to Romania’s oil fields if it remained in British hands. General Erwin Rommel (later promoted to field marshal), had a year of almost unstoppable victories against the British during the 1942, but as he raced across the desert
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