Lascaris War Rooms facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lascaris War Rooms |
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| Valletta, Malta | |
Entrance to the War Rooms
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| Coordinates | 35°53′40.19″N 14°30′39.78″E / 35.8944972°N 14.5110500°E |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Government of Malta |
| Controlled by | Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Intact |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940–1943 |
| In use | 1943–1977 |
| Battles/wars | World War II Suez Crisis |
The Lascaris War Rooms are a secret underground network of tunnels and rooms in Valletta, Malta. During World War II, this was the main control center for defending the island. It was also used to plan important military operations.
Later, the rooms were used by NATO, a group of countries working together for defence. Today, you can visit the Lascaris War Rooms as a museum.
Contents
Lascaris War Rooms: Malta's Secret HQ
Building the Secret Base
Work on these secret underground rooms began in 1940. This was during the Siege of Malta, when the island was under attack. The British military started expanding old tunnels that were once used as slave quarters. These tunnels were located under the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the Saluting Battery.
The entire complex was finished by early 1943. The name "Lascaris" comes from a nearby military battery. That battery was named after Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, a Grandmaster who built a garden there long ago.
Running the War from Underground
The Lascaris War Rooms had special operations rooms for each part of the military. This included the navy, air force, and army. From here, they planned Malta's defence and other missions in the Mediterranean Sea.
The main operations center at Lascaris was directly connected to radar stations around Malta. It also had special coding machines called Type X. The Navy Plotting Room guided ships, while the Anti-Aircraft Guns Operations Room protected the island from air attacks. In the Coast Defence Room, they planned how to defend Malta if an enemy tried to invade from the sea. The Filter Room gathered information from many places, like the naval station at Auberge de Castille.
Top Leaders and Big Decisions
The Lascaris War Rooms became a very important Allied headquarters. In 1943, top military leaders like General Eisenhower, Admiral Cunningham, Field Marshal Montgomery, and Air Marshal Tedder used it. From here, they directed the Allied invasion of Sicily (known as Operation Husky). This was a huge attack to take back Sicily from enemy forces.
During the war, about 1000 people worked in these rooms. This included 240 soldiers.
After the War: A Cold War Hub
After World War II ended, the Lascaris War Rooms became the main base for the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet. They were used during the Suez Crisis in 1956, a time of tension in the Middle East. The rooms were also put on high alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. This was when people feared a missile attack from the Soviet Union against Malta.
In 1967, NATO took over the complex. They used it as a secret communication center to track Soviet submarines in the Mediterranean. The war rooms continued to serve this purpose until they were closed in 1977.
Visiting the War Rooms Today
In 1992, the complex was rented out to a private company. It was fixed up and opened to the public as a museum. The rooms closed again in 2005. However, in 2009, two heritage groups, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna and the Malta Heritage Trust, took them over.
Since then, the Lascaris War Rooms have been open to the public once more. Restoration work began soon after and is almost finished. When all the work is done, the rooms will be part of a larger Military Heritage Park. This park will include the war rooms, the old NATO Command Centre, the SS Peter and Paul Counterguard, the Saluting Battery, and the crypt of the former Garrison Chapel.
Images for kids
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Coastal Defence Room during World War II
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British staff officers plot positions on large wall charts during the invasion of Sicily
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Entrance to the war rooms in St. James Ditch
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Lascaris War Rooms restored
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Communication Room
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Map of Sicily
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Additional map room
