​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

 

In 1940, this site was repurposed to house naval and artillery headquarters, equipped with their respective operation rooms for conducting defense and offense operations. In May 1941, the Royal Air Force joined, transferring its fighter operations room and radar filter room from an above-ground facility to this location. These facilities were set up alongside the existing Royal Artillery Anti-aircraft Gun Operations Room and, together with radar, formed the backbone of Malta's first-rate air defense system.
 

The operation rooms were supported by radio cubicles, offices, and a canteen. Separate dormitories for other ranks and officers, including commanders, were also part of the infrastructure. Throughout the Battle for Malta (1941-42) and the Siege (1940-43), the defense of the island was coordinated from the operation rooms. Additional tunneling in the vicinity was carried out to provide room for expansion while this headquarters was operational.

 

 

 

 

 

 

​
 

In May 1943, this allowed a significant portion of the headquarters to move to newly prepared underground facilities next door, now known as the Lascaris War Rooms. This relocation was completed in preparation for Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily on July 9/10, 1943. During the campaign, the Lascaris War Rooms, supported by the original War HQ, served as the Allied Headquarters from where General Eisenhower, assisted by General Montgomery, General Alexander, Air Marshal Tedder, and Admiral Cunningham, launched and led the successful invasion of Sicily.
 

The Malta War HQ was the first military combined war headquarters where inter-service cooperation between all the fighting services was successfully employed, influencing military doctrine ever since. After the war, it underwent many modernizations and changes. Between 1955 and 1970, its operational and communication facilities were shared with NATO. In 1956, during the Suez Crisis, it served as the Operational HQ for the invasion of Egypt. In 1962, while the world faced a global nuclear war risk due to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the War HQ, Malta, was placed on war footing, awaiting immediate Soviet retaliation against British and NATO military facilities in Malta. However, as Malta became independent and British interests in the Mediterranean changed, leading to the closure of the British military base in Malta in March 1979, the War HQ was closed down in July 1977 and abandoned. In 2009, it was restored by the voluntary non-governmental organization Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna - The Malta Heritage Trust and opened to the public.