British intelligence learned of the sailing from cracked Enigma traffic and Italian codes, giving two confirmations. An RAF reconnaissance aircraft was then sent to find the convoy in plain sight. The sighting offered the Axis a plausible explanation for the interception and helped conceal the compromised communications. Because reconnaissance aircraft from Malta seemed repeatedly to find convoys, Axis forces overestimated how many were operating there. That error also inflated their estimate of Malta's garrison.
Notable Point · 0:42-1:35
Cracked codes and Malta reconnaissance expose the convoy
Cracked Enigma and Italian codes revealed the sailing, while an RAF reconnaissance aircraft gave the British a visible way to locate it without exposing the intelligence source.