Operations depend on equipment and people that are ready to work. Eagle's damage reduced the Mediterranean Fleet from two carriers to one, and the practical Swordfish strike fell by more than half because fighter cover and supporting tasks also consumed aircraft. A company with sixty lorries and sixty drivers illustrates the same constraint: one sick driver or one broken vehicle immediately reduces the usable fleet to fifty-nine. Resilience depends on spare capacity or a way to call up more resources, because nominal capacity cannot cover illness and breakdown automatically. Taranto thus becomes a broader example of operational readiness rather than a simple aircraft count.
Notable Point · 26:46-30:24
Availability matters more than paper strength
Operation Judgment illustrates the difference between owning two carriers on paper and having only one fit for the operation when damage, maintenance, and trained personnel intervene.