The Raid on Taranto 1940

Overview

On the night of November 11th, 1940, obsolete Swordfish biplanes of the Royal Navy swooped on the Italian fleet as it lay at anchor, and sank or disabled three battleships. Within a few minutes, the Royal Navy had changed the face of naval warfare. The Swordfish for this surprise raid, had been launched from a carrier task force, and far away in the Pacific, the Imperial Japanese Navy was watching.