Cunningham on Mediterranean air power and logistics

Cunningham's account begins with the arrival of German air power in the Mediterranean and the threat it posed to British sea communications. An attack on the Suez Canal caused no direct damage or casualties, yet unexploded bombs still stopped traffic for a day and exposed the route's vulnerability. Alexandria remained essential because shipping coming around the Cape and up the Red Sea depended on the canal to reach the only Egyptian port able to handle the required volume. Proposed Dodecanese operations and requests for fighters competed for the same scarce resources needed elsewhere in the theater. Meanwhile, small ships bombarded the coast, moved prisoners and supplies, cleared harbors, and prepared captured ports for the army. The reading shows Mediterranean sea power functioning as logistics, air defense, amphibious opportunity, and fleet operations at the same time.