 Plagis 's first major operation was Operation Spotter , the first of many British endeavours to reinforce the besieged island of Malta in the face of German and Italian assaults during the Battle of the Mediterranean . Malta was considered to be of vital strategic importance , and its defence was looking increasingly precarious in March 1942 . Spotter was a plan to strengthen its British garrison with 16 new Spitfire Mk Vs , which would be carried part of the way from Gibraltar on the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle , then flown to Malta ; the pilots would then become part of the severely depleted No. 249 ( Gold Coast ) Squadron . The team of pilots comprised eight British airmen , four Australians , two New Zealanders and two Southern Rhodesians — Plagis and his close friend Pilot Officer Doug Leggo . 
