Amenia's Riva Contributes to WWII Book

AMENIA — In the summer of 1942, Frederick Larson and Francis Dales led a 15-ship convoy, which was escorted by 89 war machines, to the island of Malta.

After six days, the tanker Ohio made it to the war-torn country bearing supplies, food and ammunition.

The tide of World War II was changed by the shipment, which arguably halted German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in his tracks, saved the continent of Africa and the oil supply, and led the way for Operation Torch.

The story of the two merchant mariners is told in "At All Costs," a book written by Sam Moses and "managed" by Amenia Union resident and The Millerton News columnist Peter Riva.

Riva told the tale of Larson and Dales at the Amenia Free Library Tuesday afternoon.

The small library, which is located on Main Street in the town, is mentioned in the book.

"[Library Executive Director] Miriam Devine at the tiny Amenia, New York, library found some books that even the New York Public Library didn’t have. Miriam was a very young girl in Malta during the siege; more than the bombs, she remembers the hunger," the text states.

"You were instrumental," Riva said to Devine.

"That’s great," she replied. "I was a baby, but my brother said everybody was so happy when the American tanker came through. We were starving."

The Maltese people were expected to run out of food by Sept. 9, 1942. The country was set to surrender itself to the Axis powers on that day, as well.

They were allowed a half a slice of bread per day and 3 ounces of meat and egg per week.

"That’s nothing," Riva said, adding that, during wartime, the countries that have the most supplies usually emerge victorious.

In order to continue his warpath, Rommel needed to seize Malta, which was under the control of Great Britain.

"Rommel said he was ‘going to bomb Malta back to the stone age,’ which is literally what he did because the Maltese shielded themselves from the bombs in limestone caves," Riva said.

From 1939 to 1942, more Axis bombs were dropped on Malta than all of the bombs dropped on England in the Battle of Britain.

Winston Churchill realized that if Malta fell to the Axis, the war in Europe would be over.

In June of 1942, Churchill met with Franklin Delano Roosevelt to discuss how the Axis could be stopped.

There were four options; two were related to Malta. (The other two were the Manhattan Project and a full-blown attack on Italy.)

That’s when Operation Pedestal, or the convoy which would eventually be led by Larson and Dales, came into play.

The two met on the ship and "immediately took a liking to each other," Riva said.

After six days of fending off the Axis’ air power, four of the 15 freighters, including the Ohio, came into port, saving the people of Malta from starvation and bombs.

"These boats really took a hammering," Riva said. "Talk about a little boat that could."

Larson and Dales were subsequently honored for heroism above and beyond the call of duty.

The title of the book is derived from orders the British gave members of the convoy.

"Death was supposed to be the only thing that stopped you," Riva explained.

It’s still not clear how Churchill persuaded Joseph Stalin to join the Allied Forces.

"Some say they drank until 5 in the morning and Churchill pulled it off," Riva said.

However, Riva and Moses found a telegram that carried the same date as the Churchill/Stalin meeting that simply said, "The tanker arrived safely."

Riva speculated that the arrival of the freighter carried so much weight that it convinced Stalin to join the effort.

Riva’s interest in the country began at an early age, when he watched "The Malta Story" with Alec Guiness.

In 1996, a friend who happened to be an editor told Moses and Riva to go ahead with the book.

Research, which included a talk with Larson’s son, Jan, in Malta, began shortly after.

The book was "ready to go" in November 2004 and was printed a year later.

An audio version will be available soon.

For more information on the book, visit www.atallcoststhebook.com.