WATCH: ‘World’s Most Bombed Country’ – Video Showcasing Malta’s Crucial WW2 Role Blows Up And Hits A Million Views
“So here’s to the country of Malta for being World War 2’s unsung hero. If there was ever a country that carried its weight and never backed down, it’s Malta.”
Now that is how you get on a Maltese person’s Christmas card list. Take note, Netflix.
Let’s be honest, we’re a small country. We get excited when Malta gets a shoutout on Euronews or the BBC. We don’t have the raw power to make an impact on the global stage often, but what we lack in quantity, we make up for in quality.
And that sentiment is very much shared by our new favourite filmmaker, Will Carmack. He was in Malta a few months back, he’s part of Nas Daily’s squad, one of the big man’s special effects artists, to be precise. But he’s got his own channel too, and his video on Malta’s hitting all the right spots for us.
“Malta enabled the turning point of the war”
Will’s goal is to highlight Malta’s crucial role in WW2, as he thinks it’s simply criminal how little credit our little island fortress gets for what it went through in the 1940’s. One of the first things he does is highlight that if you Google ‘World War 2 Combatants’, 45 countries are listed, and Malta isn’t one of them.
But Will’s here to change all that. His video hit one million views not too long ago, and there’s no better time to enjoy that fact than today, the anniversary of the Santa Maria Convoy, perhaps the most famous day in Malta’s WW2 history.
“I am here today to give credit to Malta for the hefty price this country had to pay for a war they are not even given credit for”
He shows off his special effects skills with some retro-cinematic filters and his creative recreations of the bombings, but we think it’s the sound production that really makes this video. The dramatic (but not OTT) backing track, the nostalgic 1940’s cinema-reel clicking, and Will’s own excited tone give a genuine feel to the project, and it really seems like he’s passionate about giving Malta more credit.
He covers the well-known fact that Malta was bombed practically every day for two years, then zooms out to show the impact Malta was having internationally. He credits our country for its invaluable contribution to stopping Germany’s campaigns in Africa, and then for being a crucial turning point in the war, putting the Axis powers on the defensive by serving as a launchpad for the Allies’ attacks.
“What these dictators didn’t take into account is how strong the people of Malta are”
At this point, he makes sure to get in a few cameos from some genuine Maltese people, all older folk who come in and happily lay down some stirring national pride.
The video is hardly a documentary, and there’s a few extra drops of drama with some of the effects added in post-production, but you know what? We’re not even listed down in Google’s World War 2 combatants list, we bloody deserve it.
Will Carmack, you’re very much welcome to return and make a slew of new videos showing the world exactly how awesome our country is. Do one about that time we kicked ass in 1565. I’ll even take you to get pastizzi. (You did try those when you were here, right?)