A patrol aircraft's report went first to its local base, then to regional headquarters and air headquarters in Rome. Only then did the information cross to naval headquarters and travel back down through regional and local naval commands. The delay turned geographic proximity into little operational advantage because the services did not share a direct tactical information circuit. Owning reconnaissance aircraft mattered because information that arrived too late could be almost as useless as no sighting at all.
Notable Point · 46:34-48:31
The command chain that made Italian sightings arrive late
An Italian aircraft sighting could climb one service hierarchy, cross ministries in Rome, and descend another before reaching a nearby warship.