Battle of Taranto

A British carrier air raid on the Italian fleet at Taranto on 11–12 November 1940 that damaged three battleships and demonstrated the reach of naval aviation.

Fairey Swordfish: A British biplane torpedo bomber used by the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. Swordfish crews launched the torpedo and bombing attacks against the anchored Italian fleet.
Mediterranean campaign: The military struggle for control of the Mediterranean during the Second World War. Taranto was a major British operation within this wider campaign.
Battle of Cape Matapan: A March 1941 British naval victory over Italian forces off the southern Greek coast. Taranto weakened the Italian fleet before another decisive Mediterranean engagement.
Conte di Cavour: An Italian Conte di Cavour-class battleship sunk in shallow water during the Taranto raid. It suffered the raid’s most severe damage and was never returned to service.
Aircraft carrier: A warship designed to carry, launch, and recover aircraft at sea. HMS Illustrious brought the strike aircraft within range of Taranto.
Regia Marina: The Royal Italian Navy from the unification of Italy through the Second World War. Its concentration of battleships at Taranto created the raid’s principal target.
Attack on Pearl Harbor: The Japanese carrier air strike on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The attack prompted comparisons with Taranto, though the two operations differed in scale and purpose.
Littorio: An Italian Littorio-class battleship damaged by torpedoes during the Taranto raid. It was hit repeatedly but returned to service after repairs.
Aerial torpedo: A torpedo designed to be released from an aircraft and travel through water toward a target. British crews adapted torpedoes to run in Taranto’s shallow harbor.
Italian invasion of Greece: Italy’s failed invasion of Greece, launched from Albania in October 1940. The invasion intensified British concern about Italian naval power in the eastern Mediterranean.

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