Regular RAF flights supplied photographs and reports on the harbour and its ships, but naval planners did not automatically receive the imagery. Local officers found unofficial ways to let a naval intelligence pilot study or copy the restricted material, exposing a gap between formal security rules and operational need. A force planning from a carrier at sea needed timely intelligence close to hand, where informal access to a shore station could not help. That problem helps explain the Royal Navy's continuing effort to retain an organic reconnaissance capability and reduce its dependence on another service.
Notable Point · 2:32-5:46
Reconnaissance and the need for carrier-held intelligence
Planning relied on RAF surveillance of Taranto, while awkward information sharing underscored why the Royal Navy wanted its own carrier reconnaissance.