Battle of Taranto
Part of World War II
The Italian battleship Conte di Cavour after the attack
Date: November 12, 1940 Location: Taranto, Italy Result: Decisive British victory
Combatants
United Kingdom	Italy
Commanders
Lumley Lyster	Inigo Campioni
Strength
21 torpedo bombers	6 battleships 7 heavy cruisers 2 light cruisers 8 destroyers
Casualties
2 torpedo bombers destroyed	1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1 cruiser damaged

The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11 November — 12 November 1940 during World War II. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft naval attack in history, flying a small number of aircraft from a single aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean and attacking the Italian fleet at Taranto. The effects of the British aircraft on the Italian warships led pundits around the world to predict the end of the "big gun" ship and the rise of naval air-power. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... RN Conte di Cavour, damaged after the battle of Taranto. ... Conte di Cavour was an Italian Conte di Cavour class battleship, that served in the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II. It was named after the Italian statesman Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. ... November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Founded 706 BC as Taras () Region Apulia Mayor Rossana Di Bello Area  - City Proper  217 km² Population  - City (2001)  - Density (city proper) 201,349 973/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 40°28 N 17°14 E www. ... Battle of Mediterranean Conflict World War II Date Place Mediterranean Sea Result Allied victory The Naval Battle of the Mediterranean was waged during World War II, to attack and keep open the respective supply lines of Allied and Axis armies, and to destroy the opposing sides ability to wage... Combatants United Kingdom France Commanders James Somerville Marcel-Bruno Gensoul Strength 3 battleships, 1 carrier, 2 cruisers, 11 destroyers 4 battleships, 6 destroyers, 1 seaplane tender Casualties — 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1,297 killed The Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, French North Africa (now... The Battle of Calabria, also known as the Battle of Punta Stilo, was a naval battle between ships of Italian Regia Marina on one side and the British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy on the other. ... The battle of Cape Spada was a naval battle of World War II fought in the Mediterranean off Cape Spada, the north-western extremity of Crete on 19 July 1940. ... The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a minor engagement between naval forces of the British Royal Navy and the Italian Regia Marina on 27 November 1940, during World War II. The battle ended in a draw, but served to convince the... Combatants United Kingdom, Australia Italy Commanders Andrew Cunningham Angelo Iachino Strength 1 carrier 3 battleships 7 light cruisers 17 destroyers 1 battleship 6 heavy cruisers 2 light cruisers 17 destroyers Casualties 1 torpedo plane destroyed 1 battleship damaged 3 cruisers sunk 2 destroyers sunk The Battle of Cape Matapan was... Combatants Greece New Zealand Australia United Kingdom Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength 43,000 25,000 Casualties 3,500 dead 1,900 wounded 17,500 captured 6,200–16,100 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Crete (German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) began on the morning... The Battle of Cape Bon was a Second World War naval action off Cape Bon, Tunisia. ... The First Battler of Sirte was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the Regia Marina during the World War II. It took place on 17 December 1941, in the Mediterranean, north to the Gulf of Sirte, west of Malta, between the Regia Marina and royal Navy. ... The Second Battle of Sirte was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the Regia Marina during the World War II. It took place on 22 March 1942, in the Mediterranean, north to the Gulf of Sirte, west of Malta. ... Military history records three operations named Harpoon. ... British shells fall astern of the Italian light cruiser Muzio Attendolo during the battle Operation Pedestal was a British attempt to get vital supplies to the island of Malta during World War II in mid-1942 during the height of the Axis siege of Malta. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Free French Germany Vichy France Commanders Dwight Eisenhower François Darlan Strength 73,500 ? Casualties 479+ dead 720 wounded 1346+ dead 1997 wounded Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started November... Husky was also the codename of Australian military support to Sierra Leone ending in February 2003. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services being the oldest of its three branches. ... An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... Founded 706 BC as Taras () Region Apulia Mayor Rossana Di Bello Area  - City Proper  217 km² Population  - City (2001)  - Density (city proper) 201,349 973/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 40°28 N 17°14 E www. ...

Origins

In 1940 Italian operations in North Africa, centered on Libya, required resupply from the Italian mainland. British North African operations, centered in Egypt, suffered from much greater supply difficulties, with convoys having to cross the entire Mediterranean Sea from depots in Gibraltar. This put the Italian fleet into an excellent position to cut off supplies to the British forces.  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ...

In repeated actions the Royal Navy had always come out on top, considerably upsetting the Mediterranean balance of power. So instead of direct action, the Italians left their ships safely in harbor, leaving the mere threat of a sortie to cause the British serious problems. This exemplified the theory of a fleet in being. At the time this "fleet-in-being" packed a potentially powerful punch: the harbor at Taranto contained six battleships (five of them battle-worthy), seven heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and eight destroyers. Balance of power is a central concept of realist theories of international relations. ... Sortie is a term for deployment of one military aircraft or a ship for the purposes of a specific mission, whether alone, or with other aircraft or vessels. ... In naval warfare, a fleet in being is a naval force that extends a controlling influence without ever leaving port. ... HMS Victory in 1884 given to the most powerfully gun-armed and most heavily armored classes of warships built between the 15th and 20th centuries. ... A heavy cruiser is a type of large warship which originated with the British Hawkins class during World War I. They entered service after the war. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer (French: contre-torpilleur, German: Zerstörer, Spanish: destructor, Italian: cacciatorpediniere) is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers...

The British, concerned with the potential for an attack on their lifelines, had long ago drawn up Operation Judgement, the surprise attack on Taranto. For this mission they sent the new HMS Illustrious to join HMS Eagle in Admiral Andrew Cunningham's fleet. They had originally intended to launch it on 21 October 1940 (Trafalgar Day), but damage to both carriers prevented this, and Illustrious took on planes from Eagle and launched the attack alone. The task-force consisted of Illustrious, two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and four destroyers. The attack aircraft came from No. 813,No. 815, No. 819, and No. 824 Naval Air Squadrons. Illustrious also had No. 806 NAS for air cover. The fourth HMS Illustrious (R87) of the Royal Navy was an aircraft carrier, arguably the one with the most distinguished and vital career of this proud lineage. ... HMS Eagle was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy sunk during World War II. The Eagle was laid down at the Armstrong yards at Newcastle-on-Tyne on February 20, 1913. ... Bronze bust of Lord Cunningham, looking at Nelsons column and Whitehall Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (7 January 1883 - 12 June 1963), familiarly known as ABC, was the most famous British admiral of World War II, winning distinction in Mediterranean battles in 1940 and 1941, then... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Trafalgar Day, 21 October, was widely commemorated by parades, dinners and other events throughout much of the British Empire in the 19th and early 20th century as a celebration of the victory won by Admiral Horatio Nelsons British fleet over the combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle... A heavy cruiser is a type of large warship which originated with the British Hawkins class during World War I. They entered service after the war. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer (French: contre-torpilleur, German: Zerstörer, Spanish: destructor, Italian: cacciatorpediniere) is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers...

Several reconnaissance flights by Martin Maryland bombers operating from Malta had confirmed the existence of the Italian fleet, but to make sure the British also sent in a Short Sunderland on the night of November 11, just as the task force was forming up about 170 miles away from the harbor, just off the Greek island of Cephalonia. This alerted the Italian forces, but without radar they could do little but wait. Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... The Martin A-22 Maryland was designed as a light bomber, first flying in 1939. ... The Sunderland, S.25, was a flying boat patrol bomber, developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers, based on their successful S.23 Empire flying boats, the flagship of Imperial Airways. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... Geography The capital of the Cephallonia prefecture is Argostoli. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to detect, determine the distance of, and map, objects such...

Battle

The first wave of 12 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers left the Illustrious just before 21:00, followed by a second wave of 9 aircraft about an hour later. The first wave, which consisted of a mixture of bomb-equipped and torpedo-equipped planes, approached the harbor at 22:58 and split into two groups, one attacking the ships in the outer harbor (Mar Grande) and a smaller group flying over the town to the inner harbor (Mar Piccolo). The second wave attacked from the northwest over the town about an hour later. During the attacks the battleship Littorio took hits from three torpedoes, while the battleships Conte di Cavour and Caio Duilio each received one, while bombs damaged a cruiser in the inner harbor. Two of the planes in the first wave had dropped flares in order to mark the targets in the dark, and although this also gave gunners on the ground better visibility, the Italians shot down only two of the Swordfish. Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the... A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ... HMS Victory in 1884 given to the most powerfully gun-armed and most heavily armored classes of warships built between the 15th and 20th centuries. ... Littorio, high speed manoeuvres, summer 1940. ... Conte di Cavour was an Italian Conte di Cavour class battleship, that served in the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II. It was named after the Italian statesman Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. ... Official photo of Caio Duilio in 1912, before modernisation. ...

Of the two aircraft lost, two crew were taken prisoner. The other two crew were lost. (link)

Aftermath

The Italian fleet suffered a mortal wound, and the next day transferred its undamaged ships to naval bases farther north in order to protect them from similar attacks in the future. Repairs to Littorio took about four months and to Caio Duilio six, but Conte di Cavour required extensive salvage work and its repairs remained incomplete when Italy left the war in 1943. The Italian fleet lost half its strength in one night, the " fleet-in-being" diminished in importance, and the Royal Navy increased its control of the Mediterranean. In naval warfare, a fleet in being is a naval force that extends a controlling influence without ever leaving port. ...

Even with this serious blow, the Italian fleet had the resources to take part within a month in the battle of Cape Spartivento (27 November 1940) with good results. However the British decisively beat the remaining Italian fleet a few months later during the battle of Cape Matapan (March 1941). The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a minor engagement between naval forces of the British Royal Navy and the Italian Regia Marina on 27 November 1940, during World War II. The battle ended in a draw, but served to convince the... November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Combatants United Kingdom, Australia Italy Commanders Andrew Cunningham Angelo Iachino Strength 1 carrier 3 battleships 7 light cruisers 17 destroyers 1 battleship 6 heavy cruisers 2 light cruisers 17 destroyers Casualties 1 torpedo plane destroyed 1 battleship damaged 3 cruisers sunk 2 destroyers sunk The Battle of Cape Matapan was...

Air-launched torpedo experts in all modern navies had previously thought that torpedo attacks against ships required deep water, at least 100 ft (30 m). Taranto had a water depth of only 40 ft (12 m). However the Royal Navy used modified torpedoes, and also dropped them from a very low height. This aspect of the raid, and others, served as an important input for the planning of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941: Japanese planning staff studied it intensively. A torpedo in Rail terminology refers to a small explosive device strapped to the top of the rail to alert an approaching train of immediate danger ahead. ... Combatants United States of America Imperial Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN) Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 9 destroyers, 8 tankers, 23 fleet submarines, 5 midget submarines, 441 planes...

"Taranto, and the night of November 11th - 12th, 1940, should be remembered for ever as having shown once and for all that in the Fleet Air Arm the Navy has its most devastating weapon."
Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope - Admiral

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham Bronze bust of Lord Cunningham, looking at Nelsons column and Whitehall Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (7 January 1883–12 June 1963), familiarly known as ABC, was a famous British admiral of World War II, winning distinction in...

External links

• Battle of Taranto from Royal Navy's website
• Battle of Taranto
• Order of battle