11th November 2025 marks 85 years since the battle of Taranto. The Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11th November 1940 during the Second World War between British naval forces and Italian naval forces. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, employing 21 Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in the Mediterranean Sea. The attack struck the battle fleet of the Regia Marina at anchor in the harbour

Why didn't the Bismarck shoot down any Swordfish?

The Fairey Battle Mark 1 was a British light bomber that entered service in 1937, intended to be a versatile aircraft for bombing and reconnaissance missions. While it was fast and had a relatively small size, its performance was quickly overshadowed during the early stages of World War II. The Battle was deployed extensively during the Battle of France in 1940, where it proved vulnerable to enemy fighters due to its lack of defensive armament and speed. As a result, it suffered heavy losses and

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