HMS Formidable's mission off Crete was a strategically meaningful gamble. The carrier's aircraft might damage German air bases and reduce attacks on British troops and shipping. Success could buy time for evacuation or even help stabilize the island for a counterstroke. Formidable was damaged and the larger aim failed, but the prospective payoff explains why commanders accepted the danger to a scarce carrier.
Notable Point · 1:59:18-2:00:01
Why risking Formidable off Crete could be strategically rational
A carrier was worth risking when its air group might suppress German bases, protect an evacuation, and preserve the possibility of retaking Crete.