How Biplanes Took Out an Entire Navy

The first time in history that a naval attack was performed only by planes

The aftermath of the British attack on the Taranto harbour. Source: Wikicommons

Naval supremacy was vital for the course of the Second World War. Having naval supremacy meant having the upper hand over your enemy, and as such both, the Axis and the Allies tried their hardest to achieve an edge over the latter.

Although we now know that the Allies had naval superiority over the Axis for the duration of the war, the situation wasn’t as clean-cut at the start as many of us believe. The Allies had to deploy some innovative measures to cripple the Italian Regia Marina and the German Kriegsmarine. The Battle of Taranto was an excellent illustration of how unconventional tactics were used to attain this crucial goal.

The Mediterranean

The emblem of the Regia Marina, the naval wing of the Italian armed forces during the Second World War. Source: Wikicommons

Following France’s surrender to the Third Reich on June 25, 1940, the Allies faced little resistance in Central and Western Europe. With France under Nazi control, the entire continent was cut off from the Western Allies.

One thing became clear when exploring the ways to retake Europe. In the Mediterranean, the Allies must acquire…