Benito Mussolini's decision not to attempt an invasion of Malta in June 1940, has been called the worst Axis mistake of World War II. Italian generals overestimated Malta's defenses. If the Italians had invaded the colony then, it would have been impossible for the Royal Navy to re-supply the garrison. Adolf Hitler was shocked that Mussolini had wasted time in formally declaring war on France and the British Empire on 10 June 1940, instead suggesting Mussolini should have invaded Malta after first launching a surprise attack on the British fleet at Alexandria.
The average age of a pilot during the Siege of Malta was 21.
The footage of the stricken Ohio being towed into harbor is footage of the real event, shot in 1942.
Late in the movie, there is a shot of a merchant ship with a huge hole in her bow. This is footage of the Brisbane Star, part of the Pedestal convoy, which remarkably completed the trip under her own power.
This movie was not well received in Malta, as the country was still under British occupation.