Italian battleships of the Regia Marina out-gunned the British, yet the Royal Navy was not out-classed. The German airforce had superior aircraft until Spitfires were finally sent to Malta. Also at this time, German and Italian strategists were planning Operation Herkules, a sea and air invasion of the Maltese Islands, an effort continuously postponed – until it was too late, because the Maltese Islands finally received their vital supply of fuel, food and munitions.