A carrier could have remained farther back and provided air cover for the evacuation from Crete. The more aggressive choice was to strike enemy airfields in hopes of reducing attacks enough to save ships and perhaps hold the island. That option risked a valuable carrier for the possibility of changing the entire operational outcome. The choice fit a service culture that rolled the dice for total victory when an opening appeared. Somerville's lower-risk choice during Operation C was understandable but sat less comfortably with that tradition.
Notable Point · 1:21:28-1:23:10
Risking a carrier for total victory at Crete
The Crete airfield strike is contrasted with passive cover and Somerville's caution to show how the Royal Navy judged high-risk opportunities.