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Codebreakers at Britain's Bletchley Park have cracked a single signal from Italian Navy- three days to a major attack. Working flat-out to decode more & discover location.
Italians use Enigma cipher machines, gifts from their German allies, making their signals "impossible to decrypt"- so they believe.
Codebreakers at UK's Bletchley Park have decrypted orders from Italian fleet in Mediterranean: they plan to sink a British convoy tomorrow. If Royal Navy fleet at Alexandria strikes now, they can ambush Italian ships enroute.
British codebreaker Mavis Lever (19): "I sprinted across the Park to the signals hut in the pouring rain, with the name of the ambush spot in my pocket: Matapan."
Alexandria is full of anti-British spies; Royal Navy fleet is leaving port in absolute secrecy, commander Admiral Cunningham sneaking onboard from Alexandria Golf Club under cover of darkness.
British & Australian warships have ambushed an Italian naval battle fleet- who were hoping to sink an undefended convoy- off Cape Matapan, Greece. Fierce battle now raging between two fleets. 
Under cover of night, 3 British battleships have slunk close to Italians- who have no radar & must visually spot enemy vessels- & opened fire. Torpedo bombers from British aircraft carrier joining the assault.
Crushing British victory off Cape Matapan: Italian Navy have lost 5 warships & suffered 2,300 dead, 1,015 shipwrecked sailors taken prisoner; British have lost 1 plane, 3 men dead.
Royal Navy carefully sent out a reconnaissance aircraft, pilot instructed where to "discover" Italian fleet- to hide the top-secret fact that British codebreakers have decrypted Enigma signals.
