▁cont ing ent ▁of ▁ 2 0 ▁St uk as ▁and ▁ 1 0 ▁J unk ers ▁Ju ▁ 8 8 s ▁with ▁a ▁small ▁esc ort ▁of ▁f ighter ▁aircraft ▁to ▁bomb ▁Grand ▁Har bour , ▁Mal ta . ▁A ▁formation ▁of ▁ 5 0 ▁Royal ▁Air ▁Force ▁aircraft — 3 7 ▁Sp it f ires ▁and ▁ 1 3 ▁Haw ker ▁H urr ican es — w ere ▁dispatch ed ▁to ▁intercept ▁the ▁group ; ▁B ren nan ▁was ▁pil oting ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁Sp it f ires . ▁Att ack ing ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁St uk as , ▁B ren nan ▁later ▁recorded ▁that ▁the ▁aircraft ▁" dis integr ated , ▁with ▁huge ▁ch unks ▁flying ▁off ▁in ▁every ▁direction ". ▁During ▁the ▁battle , ▁a ▁total ▁of ▁ 1 4 ▁German ▁aircraft ▁were ▁shot ▁down , ▁for ▁the ▁loss ▁of ▁ 2 ▁Sp it f ires . ▁In ▁an ▁eng agement ▁the ▁next ▁day , ▁B ren nan ▁was ▁wounded ▁in ▁his ▁left ▁arm . ▁He ▁was ▁commission ed ▁as ▁a ▁pilot ▁officer ▁later ▁that ▁month . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁conclusion ▁of ▁his ▁combat ▁tour ▁in ▁July ▁ 1 9 4 2 , ▁B ren nan ▁had ▁flow n ▁a ▁total ▁of ▁twenty - two ▁oper ational ▁sort ies ▁and ▁was ▁cred ited ▁with ▁destroy ing ▁ 1 0 ▁A xis ▁aircraft ▁over ▁Mal ta , ▁with ▁one ▁probably ▁destroyed ▁and ▁a ▁further ▁ 6 ▁dam aged . ▁For ▁his ▁efforts ▁in ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁A xis ▁aircraft ▁during