Raid against Taranto

   [Diagram by types of ship]

Start: Monday November 11, 1940

Ending: Tuesday November 12, 1940

Operation "Judgment": torpedo planes starting from a British carrier attacked the Italian fleet anchored at Taranto and sink half its battleships. That is the first glancing sign of the new role of the carrier in the naval strategy and a foreboding to Pearl Harbour, one year later. A shorter term consequence of that victory was to give the British the mastery in Central Mediterrenean Sea until the arrival of the German air force in Sicily two months later.

Place: Italy

Type: Carrier battle

The Cavour, sunk in Taranto by British torpedo planes

	Britain	Italy
Forces	Lyster (only the torpedo planes take part in the attack): 1 carrier, 1 heavy cruiser, 3 light cruisers, 4 destroyers, 18 fighters, 21 torpedo planes.	Campioni (ships present in Taranto during the attack): 6 battleships, 7 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 30 destroyers, 1 seaplane tender, 5 fleet torpedo boats, 4 minesweepers, 1 mine layer, 2 hospital and rescue ships, 9 oilers, 16 submarines.
Losses	2 torpedo planes lost.	3 battleships lost. 1 heavy cruiser, 1 destroyer damaged. Two of the sunk battleships would be refloated.

Webmaster's question(s) and remark(s): Italian destroyers are missing on my diagram, as well as all the submarines and the torpedo boats present in the harbor during the attack

Additional information on the web : [RegiaMarina2][Warships1][BritishForces]

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