Kammala wannan jumla: Yaƙin ya faru ne lokacin da rundunar sojojin Allied ta shiga Tekun Adriatic don neman maƙasudin jirgin ruwan Italiya. Ko da yake ba su san shi a lokacin ba, ainihin manufar jirgin ya taimaka wajen janye hankalin abokan gaba daga babban aikin da aka yi a kan babban tashar jiragen ruwa na Italiya a Taranto (
Yaƙin Taranto). An umurci rundunar sojojin Allied da mataimakin Admiral Henry Pridham-Whippel a cikin jirgin ruwa mai haske, kuma ya hada da jiragen ruwa masu haske da kuma masu hallaka da kuma.