Why Italian naval and air cooperation stayed limited

How did the poor relationship between the Regia Marina and Regia Aeronautica affect Italian naval plans?

War compelled limited cooperation, but interservice rivalry remained severe; Mussolini's formal control of both services did not ensure that the navy received the aircraft it needed.

Wartime necessity forced some cooperation between the Italian navy and air force, but the relationship remained cold and poorly integrated. Mussolini's role as naval minister gave the Regia Marina an unusually direct political route for pressing its needs. Even so, formal authority did not reliably produce the aircraft support that naval plans required. Britain's own struggle over control of naval aviation shows that interservice rivalry was widespread, while the Italian case demonstrates the danger of assuming that another service's land-based aircraft will meet fleet requirements.