Recreating a North Sea war plan in the Mediterranean

The March exercise transposes a First World War North Sea problem onto Mediterranean geography. Galita Island represents Scapa Flow, Pollensa Bay stands in for Wilhelmshaven, and an artificial barrier near the Bonifacio Strait recreates the Dover approaches. The nominal Grand Fleet must protect coastal convoys and troopships while deciding which convoy matters most and what force should cover it. Commanders do not know whether the opposing fleet intends a major action or a quick raid, nor which convoy it will attack. They must choose when the main fleet should sail and arrange air reconnaissance for dawn. The exercise rehearses the decisions that precede contact with an enemy fleet, when commanders have incomplete information about its objective.