sorry but I still think you are wrong...small size equals quick response time?also equals less "strategic depth",quicker to overrun.The forces sent to crete would have overwhelmed the small garrison on malta very fast.As for naval forces...didn't the luft sink aircraft carriers,battleships etc that tried to defend crete?Send in the Roayl Navy...fight...lose ships..lose the land battle too.Sound like fun for the Germans,esp since the ships lost at crete were mostly little coastal transports,easy to replace,and the ships the brits lost were capital ships,very hard to replace.Right?