The Reichsmarine passes, via Enigma (intercepted by Ultra), a communiqué to the Royal Navy that sounds like an ultimatum: the situation in the Mediterranean is more favorable to the Italians than ever before, and the situation is propitious for an intervention in the Crete area. The Italians will dispatch the battleship Vittorio Veneto, six cruisers (Zara, Pola, Fiume, Trento, Trieste, Bolzano), and 18 destroyers, heading for Cape Matapan.
