The torpedoes were modified to negate the effects of “porpoising” in the harbor’s shallow water. The latter was a very long and slow route, and the Italian fleet was in an excellent position to interdict British supplies and reinforcements using the direct route through the Mediterranean. Instead of a mighty force of battleships, groups of vessels were now based around aircraft carriers, which became the far-reaching fortresses needed for controlling the vast Pacific Ocean. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The Regia Marina could conceivably have gone to sea in search of any British naval force, but this was distinctly against the naval philosophy of the Italians between January 1940 and September 1943. However, the British had developed a rig to attach on the nose of their aircraft with a wire tied to the nose of the torpedo. [3], In 1940–41, Italian Army operations in North Africa, based in Libya, required a supply line from Italy. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Italian fleet at anchor in the harbour is under attack from aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. Their answer to this challenge was a blow to the Regia Marina’s main battle fleet harbored at Taranto (a city tucked inside the heel of Italy’s boot). This contributed to the success of Judgment. The torpedoes used at Taranto were a mix of contact and magnetic pistols. These, too, had yet to be replaced, with the result that there were several sizeable gaps in the balloon barrage– and the British planes in fact slipped through at least one of these gaps in making their attack. [3] Firm plans were drawn up after the Italian Army halted at Sidi Barrani, which freed up the British Mediterranean Fleet.[3]. [3][8] These torpedoes were fitted with Duplex magnetic/contact exploders, which were extremely sensitive to rough seas,[3] as the attacks on the German battleship Bismarck later showed. The Italian battleships suffered significant damage: Italian defences fired 13,489 shells from the land batteries, while several thousand were fired from the ships. At 8:30 P. M. on 11 November, Illustrious launched her aircraft some 170 miles from Taranto. While his military forces didn’t cover themselves in glory in either of these two new theatres, the Regia Marina – now boasting six battleships – was not doing much more than engaging in mining operations, escorting convoys and skirmishing unsuccessfully with Cunningham’s Mediterranean Fleet. This wave struck two battleships, one the same as the last wave and one as yet untouched. Conte di Cavourwas the first battleship struck, followed by Littorio. On the deck of the Illustrious were 24 Swordfish from the four different Naval Air squadrons. [24] Fuchida led the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941. Two of the three damaged battleships were repaired by mid-1941 and control of the Mediterranean continued to swing back and forth until the Italian armistice in 1943. This never caused alarm in the Italians who figured it was in support of shipping convoys trying to avoid the dreaded Regia Marina battle fleet. The Japanese Imperial Navy struck the imposing U.S. fleet with a much larger force than the British had Taranto, launching aircraft from six, massive carriers. Perhaps it may be interesting to record that a naval Japanese mission visited Taranto in Jan- and Feb. 1941. "[15], Littorio was repaired with all available resources and was fully operational again within four months, while restoration of the older battleships proceeded at a much slower pace (repairs took seven months for Caio Duilio, and the repairs for Conte di Cavour were never completed). The remaining 11 planes struck Taranto in two groups, the first just before 23:00, right over the mouth of the harbor. [3] Pound took Lyster's advice and ordered training to begin. This made the threat of a sortie against British shipping a serious problem. Admiral Cunningham had assumed Campioni would be unwilling to engage the Royal Navy after his fleet was so badly handicapped, but was proven wrong just five days later when Campioni struck a shipping convoy bound for Malta. The Italians and Germans were well supplied in their North African conquests via shipping lanes from Sicily. The Taranto raid thus deprived Italy of its naval advantage and at least temporarily altered the Mediterranean balance of power, and it also underscored the effectiveness of naval aircraft. British plans to neutralize the Regia Marina in Taranto began way back when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and the Royal Navy began to fear the loss of their safe shipping lanes in the Mediterranean. [5], Of the two aircraft shot down, the two crew members of the first were taken prisoner. ( Log Out / 

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