Wars and ConflictsΜύ permalink
The Battle of Taranto Nov 1940
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Message 1.Μύ
Posted by The WAFU (U14619705) on Monday, 20th September 2010
Now that the hooha of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain has died down I hope the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ (and other broadcasters) turn their attention to the Battle of Taranto. This took place on 11 November 1940 and dealt a crippling blow to the Italian Fleet in the Med. It was the first time that a major Naval Fleet was attacked from the air and the raid was carried out by a very small number of obsolete Fairey Swordfish bombers.
It's tactics and success were studied very closely by the Japanese Navy and convinced them that similar tactics would bring them success 13 months later at Pearl Harbour.
The Battle of Taranto is celebrated to this day in all Fleet Air Arm ships & Bases to remember the extreme courage and skill of a handful of Fleet Air Arm aircrew.
The history of the Battle is not well known because it was carried out by "The Silent Service" who, unlike the RAF, didn't and still don't crow, about their exploits from the rooftops.
Despite the success of the raid and the outstanding courage of the participants very few medals were awarded to recognise these actions. -
Message 2
Posted by Mike (U13308512) on Monday, 20th September 2010
I think, to be fair, the Battle of Britain is remembered as it is because it took place over the heads of the people of London and the South East, rather than as a result of crowing by the RAF. At the time the people of the UK needed a victory and something to hold on to.
The Battle of Britain did also change the course of WWII. while the Italian fleet may well have been a nuisance, would it have changed the course of the war enormously had it not been decimated in Taranto?
No doubt that the Battle of Taranto was a triumph for the Fleet Air Arm though. -
Message 3
Posted by VF (U5759986) on Monday, 20th September 2010
The Battle of Britain did also change the course of WWII. while the Italian fleet may well have been a nuisance, would it have changed the course of the war enormously had it not been decimated in Taranto?
Μύ
The course of the war?No.The course of the war in the Mediterranian? Its entirely possible that had the Italians not been put on the defensive the RN may have been swept to either end of the Med with Malta being a casualty.I would also wonder what effect a lack of RN presence would have had on the Desert campaign. -
Message 4
Posted by White Camry (U2321601) on Monday, 20th September 2010
Like Pearl Harbor, Taranto was more a raid than a formal battle.
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Message 5
Posted by rooster (U14062359) on Monday, 20th September 2010
Not meaning to be too flippant, but hadn't the Italian fleet got their screws in the bows of their ships?
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Message 6
Posted by Mutatis_Mutandis (U8620894) on Monday, 20th September 2010
On the other hand -- how many people in Britain remember that in December 1940, Italian divers entered the harbor of Alexandria with manned torpedoes, and sank two British battleships? They were eventually repaired, but that was also the case for two of the three Italian battleships sunk at Taranto.
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Message 7
Posted by VF (U5759986) on Monday, 20th September 2010
Those frogmen had balls of steel,getting captured after planting their mines then being placed in brig of the very ships they were trying to blow up (in fact one of the mines was apparently in the vicinity of where they were held). Luckily,both ships sank on an even keel, with the water remaining below the upper decks.
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Message 8
Posted by stalti (U14278018) on Saturday, 25th September 2010
a great whatif - the modern italian battleships could have enabled malta to be taken and allied convoys stopped in the med -
north africa might have been lost and 5 german divisions sent to the russian front under a superb tactical general who was at that time a hitler favorite -
he may have been able to talk the dwarf into behaving sensibly -
Message 9
Posted by merlin (U10448262) on Monday, 27th September 2010
I think a better WI: is if the RN had two carriers available for the attack. Perhaps Glorious didn't get sunk off Norway.
As it was the attack was carried out by only 21 aircraft from Illustrious (amongst which was some from the carrier Eagle).
How much more effective if the number was at least twice that! -
Message 10
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Saturday, 2nd October 2010
Eagle was originally scheduled to take part in the raid (which was planned for Trafalgar Day) but she was damaged (IIRC the old lady was near-missed and broke a fuel line). Taranto and Matapan meant that, whenever the Italian fleet learned that an RN carrier was at sea, they cleared off. They weren't too keen on facing British battleships, either, after Warspite's somewhat freakish hit in the Action off Calabria.
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Message 11
Posted by VF (U5759986) on Sunday, 3rd October 2010
They weren't too keen on facing British battleships, either, after Warspite's somewhat freakish hit in the Action off Calabria.Μύ
Nothing freakish about it at all! It was HMS Warspite! The "Old Lady" could do anything! -
Message 12
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Sunday, 3rd October 2010
Yes, the old "Woodpecker" was quite a lady - refused to go to the scrapyard, didn't she!
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Message 13
Posted by Mike Waller (U4782937) on Tuesday, 5th October 2010
In his autobiography, Admiral Cunningham is critical of himself for not pressing for more medals. However, as key information had been derived from Ultra - which very few but he knew - I sometimes wonder if he had a sense of these actions being not quite cricket. Certainly, he comes across in the book as being far more introspective than, say, Montgomery. Not, of course, that the source of the intelligence would have in any way undercut the courage of those taking part.
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