Malta 2012

The entrance to the war room complex.

Going through the entrance tunnel.

Soon we stumble upon a secret weapon.

A typical office. There weren't that many people in the war rooms when they were used. Front commanders would come here for quick briefings and orders, but would not remain here.

In 1942, this was high-tech communications equipment. Thanks to the telephone switch, the air commanders could stay in constant contact with all the airfields on Malta and guide their planes away from threatened positions.

This is how the air component of a global war is managed. The commanders would use little clips that would attach to the board to mark the status of each squadron. I must say I am a bit surprised at this. Given the size of World War II - huge - I somehow expect everything to be to the same scale. This is a global armed conflict, for Christ's sake, you can't fight it in a tiny office with pen and paper!

The plotting table, over which the commander presided. Pieces representing flights were pushed across the table by assistants.

The flight clock. Squadrons didn't spend much time in the air. From takeoff to battle to back was on the order of seven to twelve minutes (although it probably felt longer for the person in the plane). A flight would be color-coded with the triangle closest to the minute hand when it took off. So, for example, a plane taking off now would be "yellow".

The commander's view of the room.

Ammunition.

Pilot's equipment and a flag.

The clips used to track the status of squadrons.

Gozo is in the distance to the left. The island in the middle is Comino, with the Blue Lagoon just about where the boat is seen. If the photo extended a bit more to the right, the northernmost tip of Malta would be visible.

The owner of this house probably spent some time in the United States. Symbols indicating where the owner has lived can be seen on many houses.

I saw the greatest minds of my generation destroyed by madness and lust

I have no idea what the heart is for and who Basil is. The text is a modified version of the first two lines of Howl by Allen Ginsberg:

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
    madness, starving hysterical naked,

— Allen Ginsberg, "Howl"[a]