A contested Mediterranean
British convoys to Malta and Egypt depend on preventing the Italian fleet from sailing at the right moment.
Battle
Taranto
11 — 12 November 1940
A handful of aircraft turns a protected harbor into a vulnerable target.
Military history
How did a small nocturnal air attack produce a naval effect greater than its number of aircraft?
Taranto was a short battle, almost minimalist on the map. Its significance lies in the relationship among intelligence, crew preparation, harbor depth, and the choice of torpedoes. The attack did not destroy the entire Italian fleet, but removed ships from operational calculations at a critical moment.
A protected harbor
Taranto has defenses, nets, and barrage balloons. The British must find a depth and trajectory compatible with their torpedoes.
A calculated risk
Cunningham accepts the risk to an aircraft carrier in order to strike ships whose mere presence ties down convoys and escorts.
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Chronological dossier
StalingradUrban combat, stretched fronts and a flank offensive turn a conquest into an encirclement.KurskDefences in depth, intelligence and armoured reserves absorb and then turn back the German offensive.GazalaRommel outflanks the Gazala Line, but his advance becomes a logistical pocket before causing the fall of Tobruk.Imphal–KohimaJapanese forces besiege Imphal and Kohima, but the British Army supplies its positions by air and regains the initiative.MidwayIntelligence positions the ambush; dispersed attacks disorganise the defence before the dive-bombers arrive.KasserineAxis forces break through American positions in the passes before Allied reinforcements stabilize the front.Sedan BreakthroughHow did concentrated air power and the Meuse crossing produce a breakthrough faster than the French command could contain it?Second Battle of El AlameinHow did Montgomery turn logistical superiority into a breakthrough despite the depth of the Axis minefields?
Military history
Sources
Contemporary sourceRapport de l’amiral Andrew Cunningham sur l’opération Judgment
Rapport de l’attaque des 11–12 novembre 1940
Plan, air waves, and naval results.
Naval historyDavid Brown, Carrier Operations in World War II
Passage sur Tarente et l’emploi des Swordfish
Carrier-air preparation and operational consequences.
Military museumImperial War Museums, The Fleet Air Arm Strike on Taranto
Photographie du Mar Grande prise le 10 novembre 1940
Configuration of the outer anchorage, ships present, and the attack of 11 November 1940.
View ↗Port authorityAutorité portuaire de Tarente, géographie du port
Présentation officielle du port de Tarente
Mar Grande, navigable canal, Mar Piccolo, breakwaters, and harbor footprint.
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