Admiralty planners worried that repeated reconnaissance over Taranto would reveal their interest in the harbour. They also feared that the RAF might independently attack the tempting ships and alert the defenders. The explanation for this anxiety returns to the interwar arguments over bombers, battleships and aircraft carriers. Those disputes were especially fierce because many officers sincerely believed their preferred weapon offered the best protection for the country. Personal ambition is acknowledged as possible in some cases, while doctrinal conviction is given the larger role.
Notable Point · 1:22:45-1:24:28
Doctrinal rivalry complicates secrecy before Taranto
Concern that overflights or independent bombing would expose Taranto brings out how sincere doctrinal convictions could intensify service rivalry.