Colonel Will guessed correctly; the reason the Minister of Military Supplies wanted battleships to engage in sea battles at a distance of about 150 kilometers from Malta was to exhaust the French Army's fighter planes.
"150 kilometers is the limit of the French Army's fighter combat radius." In the operations conference room, the Minister of Military Supplies distributed a data analysis chart and a range diagram to the attendees.
"150 kilometers there and back is 300 kilometers." The Minister of Military Supplies had great confidence in his plan:
"And the total range of the French Army's fighters is about 400 kilometers, meaning they only have 100 kilometers of fuel for combat."
"The real situation will be worse, as aircraft often engage in overpowered maneuvers in dogfights, resulting in fuel consumption potentially twice as much or even more than usual."
