In the desperate battle for Malta in 1941-2, when German and Italian bombers pounded the island, the arrival of Spitfire Vs helped turn the tables in favour of the Allies. Flown from RN and USN carriers, and some even direct from Gibraltar, the Spitfires significantly enhanced the defenses. For many years arguments have raged about the precise colour schemes carried by these aircraft – in this new book Brian Cauchi looks at all the evidence, from photos and personal memories through to surviving parts of these aircraft, and presents his personal interpretation of the many colour schemes, official and otherwise, carried by these hard-pressed and hard-working warplanes.