Tiger and Splice formed a sequence of connected operations. One explanation for Pedestal's difficulties is that the Royal Navy lacked enough spare forces to surround its main convoy with comparable distractions. Several operations unfolding at once could divide enemy attention, while mobile ships and carriers shifted rapidly between threatened areas. The defender had to cover every plausible target, while the attacker needed local strength only at the chosen point. Available hulls for supporting operations could therefore matter as much as the fighting power concentrated around the convoy itself.
Notable Point · 41:36-43:32
Sea power through simultaneous operations
Mobile naval forces and overlapping operations could force an opponent to defend several possible targets at once.