Konstam - Taranto 1940: the fleet air arms precursor to pearl harbor

AUTHORS NOTE

All images are from the Stratford Archive, Edinburgh.

ARTISTS NOTE

Readers may care to note that the original paintings from which the color plates in this book were prepared are available for private sale. The Publishers retain all reproduction copyright whatsoever. All enquiries should be addressed to:

Peter Dennis, Fieldhead, The Park, Mansfield, Notts, NG18 2AT, UK Email:

The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence upon this matter.

First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Osprey Publishing,

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ISBN: 978-1-4728-0896-7

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3D birds-eye views by The Black Spot

Battlescene illustrations by Peter Dennis

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

In the Royal Navy, 21 October is celebrated as the anniversary of its greatest victory. That evening, both at sea and ashore, Trafalgar Night dinners are held, to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), and the exploits of Horatio Nelson, arguably Britains greatest admiral, who died at the moment of victory. However, in the Fleet Air Arm, while Trafalgar is still celebrated, the Royal Navys aviators have their own victory to commemorate. So, in November each year, Taranto Night dinners are held to remember the exploits of the same evening three-quarters of a century ago. For the Fleet Air Arm, Taranto was a victory every bit as important as Trafalgar the first great exploit by the youngest branch of the service.

Late in the evening of 11 November 1940, two groups of obsolete biplanes launched from a British aircraft carrier carried out a surprise attack on the Italian battle fleet, which was anchored in the southern Italian port of Taranto. The Italian ships were protected by antitorpedo nets, and screened by barrage balloons. Hundreds of anti-aircraft guns of various calibres ringed the ancient harbour, and listening devices precursors of radar were sited there, to provide early warning of an enemy air attack. Nearby, modern fighters of the Italian Air Force stood ready to defend the port against British bombers or torpedo planes, while search aircraft patrolled the skies to the south, looking for any British ships or aircraft foolhardy enough to come within range of the naval base. The admirals in charge of the fleet and the base considered Taranto to be virtually immune to air attack. Instead these impressive defences were tested, and found wanting.