Between October 1941 and March 1944, the Royal Air Force (RAF) conducted intensive reconnaissance flights from Gibraltar to monitor Mallorca and the Balearic Islands, identifying them as crucial, potentially hostile, Axis-aligned territory.
These high-resolution aerial photo-surveys targeted ports and airfields to prevent their use by Axis forces.
The reconnaissance targeted ports at Palma, Alcúdia, Mahón, and Ibiza, along with coastal areas and airfields At least 22 reconnaissance photo sorties were recorded over Mallorca, with additional flights over Menorca and Ibiza.
The high-resolution images, often taken by aircraft departing from Gibraltar, were used to create detailed photo-interpretation reports for the British War Cabinet. Although Spain was officially neutral, Allied forces treated the Balearic Islands as a critical risk factor, fearing they could be transformed into an operational base for Axis force .
These missions were part of broader intelligence efforts to monitor potential German and Italian activities in the Western Mediterranean.