Cunningham's staff made the 11 November strike part of a broader fleet movement. Barham, Glasgow, Berwick, and six destroyers entered the theatre while Warspite, Illustrious, Valiant, Malaya, Ramillies, and their escorts used the same movement to cover convoys and refuel in turn. Convoy cover, reinforcements, refuelling, air defence, and reconnaissance photographs were synchronized around the carrier's approach. Illustrious had to reach and remain near the flying-off position west of Cephalonia without exposing the intended target, while Fulmars repeatedly drove off Italian shadowers. An aircraft fetched the latest Malta photographs, and continuing reconnaissance confirmed that six Italian battleships were in harbour. Timing and reconnaissance turned routine fleet tasks into operational support and camouflage.
Chapter · 26:37-28:55
Timing Taranto around convoy cover and a concealed approach
Convoy cover, reinforcements, refuelling, fighter protection, and fresh reconnaissance were synchronized so Illustrious could reach the flying-off position without revealing its target.