{"id":3215159,"date":"2026-06-30T16:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T11:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T09:25:26","slug":"battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/","title":{"rendered":"Les biplans de la Nuit 21 ont r\u00e9\u00e9crit la guerre navale"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><p>It is approaching eleven o&rsquo;clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth &ldquo;Hooch&rdquo; Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish down through the flak over Taranto harbour. Magnesium flares hang in the sky, throwing the anchored Italian battle fleet into silhouette. His biplane &mdash; fabric, wire and an open cockpit &mdash; clatters in low over the water, and he releases his torpedo at the great hull of the battleship Conte di Cavour.<\/p><p>Moments later his own aircraft is hit and goes into the harbour; Williamson and his observer survive, to be taken prisoner. But the torpedo runs true. Behind and around him, twenty other antique biplanes are doing the same thing to the most powerful fleet in the Mediterranean.<\/p><p>By dawn, three Italian battleships are sitting on the bottom of their own harbour. The age of the battleship has just ended &mdash; and almost nobody has realised it yet.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border:1px solid #d6e0ff;border-radius:8px;padding:16px 20px;margin:22px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#1a1a1a\">Quick Facts<\/p><table style=\"border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px\"><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Date<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#222\">Night of 11&ndash;12 November 1940<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Attacker<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#222\">21 Fairey Swordfish biplanes from HMS Illustrious<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Target<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#222\">The Italian battle fleet at anchor in Taranto harbour<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Result<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#222\">Three battleships put out of action (Littorio, Caio Duilio, Conte di Cavour); cruisers and shore facilities damaged<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>British losses<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#222\">Two Swordfish<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Legacy<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#222\">The first all-aircraft carrier strike on a fleet &mdash; and a template for Pearl Harbor<\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">An impossible target<\/h2>\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wdbel62kZl0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Taranto was the Regia Marina&rsquo;s great naval base, and its battle fleet lay at anchor behind barrage balloons, torpedo nets, and a wall of anti-aircraft guns. Worse, the harbour was shallow &mdash; a conventional air-dropped torpedo would simply dive into the mud. The British answer was to modify their torpedoes with trim wires and breakaway fins so they would run shallow, and to attack at night, when the defences were hardest to coordinate.<\/p><p>The strike had been in the Royal Navy&rsquo;s drawer for years &mdash; contingency plans for a carrier attack on Taranto dated back to the 1930s. Operation Judgement, as it was finally christened, was originally set for 21 October 1940, Trafalgar Day, with two carriers taking part. Then a hangar fire aboard Illustrious destroyed two Swordfish and damaged more, and HMS Eagle dropped out for emergency repairs. The raid slipped to the night of 11&ndash;12 November, with a single carrier &mdash; Illustrious &mdash; flying aircraft and crews borrowed from Eagle to make up the numbers. In the days before, RAF Martin Maryland reconnaissance aircraft from Malta photographed the anchorage and confirmed that virtually the entire Italian battle fleet was home.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=2047993758  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/hms-illustrious-carrier.jpg\" alt=\"The aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">HMS Illustrious, the carrier that launched the Taranto strike. Photo: Australian War Memorial \/ Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The technical puzzle that made Taranto &ldquo;impossible&rdquo; was water depth. The Mar Grande anchorage is roughly 12 metres (40 feet) deep, and a standard air-dropped torpedo plunges far deeper than that before settling onto its run &mdash; against Taranto, it would simply have buried itself in the mud.<\/p>\n\n<p>The Fleet Air Arm&rsquo;s answer was a pair of modifications. The torpedoes were fitted with Duplex pistols &mdash; magnetic exploders designed to detonate under a ship&rsquo;s unarmoured belly rather than against its side &mdash; and a drum of wire rigged between aircraft and torpedo pulled the weapon&rsquo;s nose up as it fell, so that it belly-flopped onto the surface instead of diving. It was a trick other navies would study with great interest barely a year later.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1753492136  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/taranto-harbour-1940-aerial-reconnaissance.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial reconnaissance photo of Taranto harbour, 1940\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">British aerial reconnaissance of Taranto&rsquo;s inner harbour, photographed from Malta-based aircraft: the Italian fleet at its moorings. Photo: Wikimedia Commons \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Two waves, one antique biplane<\/h2><p>The aircraft that did it looked like a relic even in 1940. The Fairey Swordfish &mdash; affectionately the &ldquo;Stringbag&rdquo; &mdash; was a fabric-skinned biplane with a top speed of barely 140 mph and crew sitting in the open air. Twenty-one launched in two waves, the first of twelve led by Williamson just before 21:00, the second of nine about ninety minutes later.<\/p><p>Coming in under their own flares, the Swordfish put torpedoes into the new battleship Littorio and the older Caio Duilio and Conte di Cavour. The Littorio was crippled for months; the Cavour was so badly damaged it never returned to service. For all of it, the Royal Navy lost just two aircraft.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=2009774107  decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940-iwm.jpg\" alt=\"Fairey Swordfish Mk I torpedo bombers in formation, 1940\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Fairey Swordfish Mk I torpedo bombers on a training flight, 1940. Antique-looking, slow &mdash; and lethal at night. Photo: Imperial War Museum \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The first wave &mdash; twelve aircraft led by Lieutenant Commander Kenneth &ldquo;Hooch&rdquo; Williamson of 815 Naval Air Squadron &mdash; began lifting off Illustrious&rsquo;s deck shortly before 21:00, from a launch point roughly 170 miles from Taranto. Flare-droppers lit the harbour from the east while the torpedo aircraft let down to mast height, threading between the balloon cables and into the flak.<\/p>\n\n<p>The second wave, nine aircraft under Lieutenant Commander John &ldquo;Ginger&rdquo; Hale of 819 Squadron, followed roughly ninety minutes behind. Between them, the two waves put three torpedoes into the brand-new battleship Littorio, one into the Caio Duilio and one into the Conte di Cavour, while the bombers among the force went after cruisers, destroyers and the seaplane base. Cavour never sailed again; Littorio and Duilio were out of the war for months.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=2065517199  decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/swordfish-air-gunner.jpg\" alt=\"A Swordfish air gunner at his position\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The open rear cockpit of a Fairey Swordfish &mdash; the kind of position from which Taranto&rsquo;s crews flew through the harbour&rsquo;s flak. Photo: Imperial War Museums \/ Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The price was two aircraft. Williamson and his observer, Lieutenant Norman Scarlett, were fished out of the harbour and taken prisoner; Lieutenant Gerald Bayly and Lieutenant Herbert Slaughter, shot down in the second wave, were killed. Eleven torpedoes dropped, two crews lost, half a battle fleet neutralised &mdash; the Mediterranean&rsquo;s balance of power had been rewritten in about an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;Taranto, and the night of 11&ndash;12 November 1940, should be remembered for ever as having shown once and for all that in the Fleet Air Arm the Navy has its most devastating weapon.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham<\/strong> &mdash; Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet &mdash; in his memoir <em>A Sailor&rsquo;s Odyssey<\/em><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The shot heard in Tokyo<\/h2><p>In a single night, a handful of canvas biplanes had knocked out half of Italy&rsquo;s battle fleet and tilted the balance of the Mediterranean. But the most consequential audience was not in Rome or London. In Japan, naval planners studied Taranto closely: here was proof that carrier aircraft could cripple a battle fleet at anchor, in shallow water, by surprise. A little over a year later, that lesson arrived over Pearl Harbor.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;I have some news for the House. It is good news. The Royal Navy has struck a crippling blow at the Italian fleet.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Winston Churchill<\/strong> &mdash; Prime Minister, addressing the House of Commons, 13 November 1940<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The battleship admirals had spent decades insisting the big gun ruled the sea. On one November night, twenty-one biplanes wrote the first line of the carrier age &mdash; and the rest of the war would spell out the rest.<\/p><p>Nowhere was the lesson read more carefully than in Tokyo. Within weeks, Lieutenant Commander Takeshi Naito, Japan&rsquo;s assistant naval attach&eacute; in Berlin, flew to Taranto to inspect the results first-hand. The Imperial Japanese Navy, already contemplating a strike against the US Pacific Fleet, seized on the parallel: Pearl Harbor&rsquo;s anchorage is about as shallow as the Mar Grande, and the shallow-running torpedo modifications Japan began testing in early 1941 solved exactly the problem the Fleet Air Arm had cracked over Taranto.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/34H8BwYwF5Y\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<p>None of that diminishes what the twenty-one crews did; it multiplies it. One November night in 1940 did not merely cripple a fleet &mdash; it handed every navy on Earth the blueprint for the next war at sea, thirteen months before Pearl Harbor proved the point at scale.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin-top:18px\">Sources: Imperial War Museums; The National WWII Museum; Royal Navy (Navy Wings).<\/p><!-- mf-faq -->\n\n<div class=\"mf-faq-block\"><style>.mf-faq-block{margin:34px 0}.mf-faq-item:not([open]) .mf-faq-answer{display:none !important}.mf-faq-block h2.mf-faq-h{padding-top:22px;margin-bottom:14px}.mf-faq-item{border:1px solid #e2e8f5;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff}.mf-faq-item summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;padding:15px 50px 15px 18px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;position:relative;line-height:1.45}.mf-faq-item summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mf-faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";position:absolute;right:18px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.5em;color:#5C91FF}.mf-faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mf-faq-answer{padding:14px 18px;color:#333;line-height:1.6}.mf-faq-answer p{margin:0}<\/style><h2 class=\"mf-faq-h\">Related Questions<\/h2><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What was the Battle of Taranto?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The Battle of Taranto was a British air raid on the night of 11\\u201312 November 1940, in which 21 Fairey Swordfish biplanes from the carrier HMS Illustrious attacked the Italian battle fleet anchored at Taranto. It was the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>When did the Battle of Taranto happen?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The attack took place on the night of 11 to 12 November 1940, during the Second World War, in the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What aircraft attacked Taranto?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The raid was carried out by Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo-bombers \\u2014 fabric-and-wire aircraft with open cockpits, nicknamed the \\u201cStringbag\\u201d \\u2014 flown from the Royal Navy carrier HMS Illustrious.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>How many ships were damaged at Taranto?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>Three Italian battleships were put out of action \\u2014 the Littorio, the Caio Duilio and the Conte di Cavour \\u2014 along with damage to cruisers and shore facilities. The Conte di Cavour never returned to active service.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>Did Taranto inspire the attack on Pearl Harbor?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>Yes. Japanese naval planners studied Taranto as proof that carrier aircraft could cripple a battle fleet at anchor in shallow water. The lessons informed the planning of the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What is a Fairey Swordfish?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The Fairey Swordfish was a British biplane torpedo-bomber of the Fleet Air Arm. Despite being obsolete-looking by 1940, it served throughout the war and is famous for the Taranto raid and for helping to sink the German battleship Bismarck.<\/p><\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Battle of Taranto?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Battle of Taranto was a British air raid on the night of 11\\\\u201312 November 1940, in which 21 Fairey Swordfish biplanes from the carrier HMS Illustrious attacked the Italian battle fleet anchored at Taranto. It was the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When did the Battle of Taranto happen?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The attack took place on the night of 11 to 12 November 1940, during the Second World War, in the Mediterranean Sea.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What aircraft attacked Taranto?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The raid was carried out by Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo-bombers \\\\u2014 fabric-and-wire aircraft with open cockpits, nicknamed the \\\\u201cStringbag\\\\u201d \\\\u2014 flown from the Royal Navy carrier HMS Illustrious.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many ships were damaged at Taranto?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Three Italian battleships were put out of action \\\\u2014 the Littorio, the Caio Duilio and the Conte di Cavour \\\\u2014 along with damage to cruisers and shore facilities. The Conte di Cavour never returned to active service.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did Taranto inspire the attack on Pearl Harbor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. Japanese naval planners studied Taranto as proof that carrier aircraft could cripple a battle fleet at anchor in shallow water. The lessons informed the planning of the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is a Fairey Swordfish?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Fairey Swordfish was a British biplane torpedo-bomber of the Fleet Air Arm. Despite being obsolete-looking by 1940, it served throughout the war and is famous for the Taranto raid and for helping to sink the German battleship Bismarck.\"}}]}<\/script><!-- \/mf-faq -->\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-fairey-swordfish-the-wwi-era-biplane-that-sank-the-bismarck\/\">The Fairey Swordfish: The WWI-Era Biplane That Sank the Bismarck<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is approaching eleven o&rsquo;clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth &ldquo;Hooch&rdquo; Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish down through the flak over Taranto harbour. Magnesium flares hang in the sky, throwing the anchored Italian battle fleet into silhouette. His biplane &mdash; fabric, wire and an open cockpit &mdash; clatters [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":3215034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[675],"class_list":["post-3215159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation","tag-priority-1"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Taranto 1940: The Night 21 Swordfish Rewrote Naval Warfare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It is approaching eleven o&#039;clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth &quot;Hooch&quot; Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taranto 1940: The Night 21 Swordfish Rewrote Naval Warfare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is approaching eleven o&#039;clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth &quot;Hooch&quot; Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T14:56:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-12T09:25:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"986\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\"},\"headline\":\"The Night 21 Biplanes Rewrote Naval Warfare\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T14:56:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-12T09:25:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1562,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"priority-1\"],\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/\",\"name\":\"Taranto 1940: The Night 21 Swordfish Rewrote Naval Warfare\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T14:56:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-12T09:25:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"It is approaching eleven o'clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth \\\"Hooch\\\" Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":986,\"caption\":\"Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish Mk I torpedo bombers in 1940\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Night 21 Biplanes Rewrote Naval Warfare\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\",\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\"},\"description\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy covers French and European aerospace, from Rafale and Airbus to NATO strategy and the continent\u2019s defence industry.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fr\\\/author\\\/fortuneleroy\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Taranto 1940: The Night 21 Swordfish Rewrote Naval Warfare","description":"It is approaching eleven o'clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth \"Hooch\" Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Taranto 1940: The Night 21 Swordfish Rewrote Naval Warfare","og_description":"It is approaching eleven o'clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth \"Hooch\" Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-06-30T14:56:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-12T09:25:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":986,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/"},"author":{"name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3"},"headline":"The Night 21 Biplanes Rewrote Naval Warfare","datePublished":"2026-06-30T14:56:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-12T09:25:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/"},"wordCount":1562,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg","keywords":["priority-1"],"articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/","name":"Taranto 1940: The Night 21 Swordfish Rewrote Naval Warfare","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-30T14:56:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-12T09:25:26+00:00","description":"It is approaching eleven o'clock on the night of 11 November 1940, and Lieutenant Commander Kenneth \"Hooch\" Williamson is pushing his Fairey Swordfish","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/fairey-swordfish-formation-1940.jpg","width":1280,"height":986,"caption":"Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish Mk I torpedo bombers in 1940"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/battle-of-taranto-1940-swordfish-raid\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Night 21 Biplanes Rewrote Naval Warfare"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - Le magazine de MiGFlug","description":"pour ceux qui s&#039;int\u00e9ressent au pilotage d&#039;avions militaires et aux sujets li\u00e9s \u00e0 l&#039;aviation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3","name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy"},"description":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy couvre l&#039;a\u00e9rospatiale fran\u00e7aise et europ\u00e9enne, du Rafale et d&#039;Airbus \u00e0 la strat\u00e9gie de l&#039;OTAN et \u00e0 l&#039;industrie de d\u00e9fense du continent.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/author\/fortuneleroy\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3215159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3215159"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3215159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4156993,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3215159\/revisions\/4156993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3215034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3215159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3215159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3215159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}