The eastern Mediterranean worked as a connected system of bases. If the Allies held Crete along with Cyprus and Alexandria, their fleet could operate inside a triangle of land-based air cover, reinforced by aircraft from an attached carrier. Malta sat across Italian and German supply routes to North Africa. Possession of each island therefore affected air cover, fleet movement and the security of supply lines. The map also explains why the Axis decision to take Crete while leaving Malta in British hands mattered across the theatre.
Chapter · 5:12-7:20
Crete, Malta and the Mediterranean supply map
The map shows how Crete, Malta, Cyprus and Alexandria made sea control central to Mediterranean supply and air cover.