Each story in many ways is similar to a loop, where each story is joined together holding a chain of events in one long chain. Stories are the building blocks of history, lying neatly on top of each other forming that plastered wall on which all the good and not so good stories are forever written: some with a happy ending and others, sadly not.

Time passes leaving in its wake a destructive trail of many unwritten and forgotten stories. Stories consist mainly of a litany of events which took place throughout the centuries. While many stories were completely lost over different periods of history, it seems that destiny chooses those which are forever recorded in books for posterity.

This sweet story takes us back in time in Gozo during the Second World War. It is one of those lesser-known stories taking place in the small village of Qala, when three German soldiers swam ashore in Ħondoq ir-Rummien. Those Gozitan natives watching these men arrive were not only frightened at this scene but also imagining what lay in store for them, if God forbid, these Germans fell in the hands of the inhabitants of Qala.

Before going further into the details of the story, I would like to give the reader the background of events of the time. A lot of tension reigned as our Islands were being threatened with invasion. It was not the first time that enemy submarines were spotted along the coast of Gozo.

The Gozitans hated the Fascists and the Nazis and would not even stand their shadows, let alone their presence and they had very good reasons for doing so; they were the ones who had created the kind of predicament on Gozo. They had brought mayhem and the destruction of their normal way of life. The Maltese and Gozitans never had any particular liking of the Nazis and it seemed that these three men had their time counted.

The news of this incident had already spread like wildfire even before these three Germans landed on Gozo. Stories of atrocities and tragedies taking place overseas shocked the people of Gozo.

The population was also apprehensive of the threat that at any time, the Germans or the Italians would land in Gozo catching the islanders unawares as the island was practically defenceless. They also feared the prospect that such an invasion on Gozo would take place in a way that the people would not have a proper chance to prepare themselves to fight back the enemy.

There were 11 observation posts along the Gozitan coast (Mġarr ix-Xini, Ix-Xlendi, Id-Dwejra, Wied il-Għasri, Il-Qbajjar, Il-Qortin tax-Xagħra, San Blas, Daħlet Qorrot, Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Wied il-Mielaħ and Ras il-Qala), each manned by two coast policemen on constant night and day sentry duties.

This was not enough to defend Gozo considering that these officers were only armed with revolvers and a binoculars! Those who knew what was going on knew that these men could not stop the enemy from invading the island of Gozo.

On the morning of 3 June 1943, Observation post No.11 at Ras il-Qala noted three persons at sea. This time it was not the usual dead body floating in the waters as was often spotted by the coast police. These men were alive and kicking as they swam towards the shore.

As soon as they made it on terra firma, they were immediatley apprehended and a phone call was made for further assistance in order to arrest them. From investigations, it resulted that these men had escaped from the prisoner of war camp at St Andrews. These three men were: Corporal Major Lamfyae of the German Navy, Sergeant Major Molder of the Luftwaffe and Corporal Major Zander of the Luftwaffe.

The rubber dinghy (Number 183H) on which they had probably escaped was later found abandoned by Angelo Demanuele, a Gozitan from Għajnsielem, on Comino.

These three prisoners, before being taken back to Malta on the evening of the same day, had to pass through a very unpleasant experience as the people of Qala wanted to literally kill them.

In the book Il-Qala Matul iż-Żminijiet (p.266), by the late and greatly missed Dun Lawrenz Theuma who hailed from Qala, I came across his reminiscences of the events that followed after the capture of these Germans after they were taken from Ħondoq ir-Rummien up to the centre of Qala.

At the time Dun Lawrenz was nine years old. Despite his young age, the story which he gives is extremly detailed and reveals how angry the Gozitans were towards the enemy, and then again with justified reasons, all round misery, starvation, sacrifices, tension, bombs, deaths and devastation and disease, all as a result of the war.

The above are just some of the ill effects of war that caused the Gozitans or precisely the people of Qala to react in such a manner. In this story I have excluded incidences of the solitary German and Italian pilots who had to parachute over Gozo or in the surrounding sea. This story was the first and last time when three Germans managed to land on Gozitan shores together at the same time.

My friend Dun Theuma (1934-2012) writes as follows: "The war had been going on for a long time and the hunger pangs had reached unbearable levels and now its effects were severe and strong. I do not recall the precise date, but I remember the rumour going round that in Ħondoq ir-Rummien the Germans had landed. This news, passed on from one person to another spread in the twinkle of an eye. In spite of no means of communications, news of this nature went fast down the grapevine.

At this news, the people rose to the occasion and many made their way to Ħondoq ir-Rummien some wielding a matlock or an adze whilse others bent on throwing stones. The people had no guns. Ġużepp Grima (nicknamed: Ta' Gaġġu), owner of a grocer and meat shop went out in the middle of the street, brandishing a meat cleaver as he yelled out, 'Come on! Let us defend our country, come on! come on!' This scene had lasted only for a few minutes.

In the meantime, at the Police Station, news was going round that there were only three men and they had been apprehended and were being held by the coast police. Very close to the coast police, there was a room situated on the east side of the Madonna tal-Blat Chapel. The news reached Qala centre that soon these men were to be brought to the Police Station. This news was enough to stir again the crowd (which had by now calmed down) to farther curiousity. More people joined the crowd as it grew into a throng gathered outside the Police Station in Triq l-Imġarr.

A military truck was hastily called for from Ta' Dbieġi where men of the RAF were billeted. The truck arrived at Ħondoq ir-Rummien at the 'speed of light'. In the driver's seat was the chaufffeur while on the passenger seat was an officer. Four armed soldiers rode on the back of the truck.

As the truck was sighted someone shouted, 'Now we got them!' There was no shortage of laughs and comments. In no time at all the prisoners were driven from Ħondoq ir-Rummien straight up in front of the Police Station, guarded by the four soldiers. Two of the prisoners wore a blue boiler suit, while the other wore a white shirt hanging loosely outside his blue trousers. They were dressed in this manner so that they would be taken for workers. They were not aware that such kind of dress was never seen in Qala... making them even more conspicious! They were also oblivious to the fact that the people of Qala knew each other like the back of their hand and were like brothers and sisters!

No sooner had the truck came to a halt in front of the Police Station when the people present pressed on each other amid loud shouting as they attempted to assault the truck. The driver was quick to drive slowly the truck away from the rowdy crowd where he stopped in front of an alley (on the site where today stands the Monument of Anton Buttigieg, Malta's ex-President).

The soldiers took up position at every corner of the truck armed with rifles and fixed bayonets pointed downwards. At this sight, no one dared approach farther!

Time stood still for those moments until another detachment of soldiers was called for from Ta' Dbieġi. On arrival, one could see that these soldiers were packed like sardines on the back of the truck. At the order of the Corporal in charge, the soldiers jumped out of the truck with rifles in hand. They formed two lines, carried out some manoeuvres, as if on parade, took out their bayonets and on the order of the Corporal moved forward with bayonets pointed towards the crowd.

The crowd dispersed into two sections as the soldiers carried out further monoeuvres. Two cordons of soldiers were now in front of the door of the Police Station leading up to the front of the truck with the three prisoners on board. A path was made by the soldiers to keep the crowd from the prisoners as they were led into the Police Station for questioning. Not one word was uttered by the prisoners at the interrogation. They were adamant in not giving out their names, who they were, from where they came and more so why and how they had made their way to Gozo!

I observed all from the stairs from the doorway of the house, Dar ta' Żeppi. Many years later, I met Captain Frank Debono, who during the war was an important person in Gozo. As soon as I mentioned this story he was quick to remark: 'I was in charge of that operation.'

At the time, Gozo's little defence organisation was partly under his supervision. He also told me that it was he who managed to keep many Gozitans from Qala away from conscription in order to help their parents in agricultural work."