The constrained Mediterranean offered numerous potential bases but little safety for ammunition ships under air attack. Anti-aircraft ammunition could become the decisive consumable before fuel. The campaigns around Crete gave practical support to that forecast as ships returned with fuel remaining but depleted magazines. A logistics assessment must therefore start with theater geography and expected expenditure rather than a generic oiler count.
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Mediterranean logistics were limited by ammunition
In a Mediterranean war, ships could face ammunition shortages before fuel shortages, making a nearby base more valuable than an exposed underway transfer.