Battle of Taranto

Overview

The Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11/12 November 1940 during the Second World War between British naval forces and Italian naval forces. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, employing 21 Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo-bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in the Mediterranean Sea.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Taranto marked the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, establishing a new precedent for carrier-based offensive operations. Conducted in the Mediterranean during the early period of World War II, the Royal Navy's strike demonstrated that aircraft launched from a single carrier could project decisive offensive power against an enemy fleet at anchor. The attack was executed by a small force of Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo-bombers operating from HMS Illustrious under Admiral Andrew Cunningham and Flag Officer Lyster, with Italian naval forces under Admiral Campioni on the receiving end. The operation shifted thinking about capital ship vulnerability and the primacy of the carrier in naval warfare, influencing naval doctrine well beyond the Mediterranean theater.

Tactics

Commanders (3)