The "Regia Aeronautica" was forced on the defensive during the Sicilian Campaign. Italian pilots were constantly fighting against Allied efforts to sink "Regia Marina" ships. Just before the Allied invasion, a huge Allied bomber offensive struck the airfields in Sicily in an effort to gain further air superiority. This left the "Regia Aeronautica" very weak, but aircraft continued to arrive from Sardinia, southern Italy, and southern France.