Intelligence cover and Malta's apparent strength

British intelligence had broken Italian codes and Enigma, with Polish help in the latter case. Axis services sometimes broke British codes as well, so the advantage lay partly in how effectively the information was used. A reconnaissance aircraft appearing over a convoy then gave Force K's interception an ordinary scouting explanation. That cover protected the intelligence source by encouraging Axis commanders to blame aerial reconnaissance. Repeated successes made Malta appear to possess more reconnaissance aircraft, supplies, and defenders than it actually did, distorting German and Italian estimates of the island's strength.