Ark Royal's Sardinian raid was a strategic deception

Ark Royal attacked targets in Sardinia and damaged seaplanes, aircraft, hangars, and reconnaissance assets, but her larger contribution was to shape Italian expectations. Because Ark Royal was Britain's most conspicuous strike carrier, Italian and German observers naturally treated her movements as the likely focus of British offensive action. Her presence in the west made the eastern Mediterranean appear less threatening than it was. The operation shows how the platform most obviously suited to the main attack can create a more convincing diversion elsewhere.