Biplanes from a British carrier crippled the Italian fleet in a night raid

historyWikipedia1940 · Taranto, Italy

Biplanes from a British carrier crippled the Italian fleet in a night raid

the gist

On the night of 11 November 1940, the Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history against the Italian fleet at Taranto. Slow Fairey Swordfish biplanes flew from the carrier HMS Illustrious and attacked the Italian battleships anchored in the harbour with torpedoes. The raid put several battleships out of action and shifted the naval balance in the Mediterranean in Britain's favour. Taranto showed that aircraft launched from carriers could sink or cripple capital ships in port.

how it works

Torpedoes dropped by aircraft normally ran too deep for shallow harbour water. British crews used modified torpedoes and low-level approaches to make them work in the shallow harbour.

so what

The attack is often seen as a forerunner of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor a year later, and it helped confirm that the aircraft carrier had replaced the battleship as the main weapon of naval power.

fun fact

The Swordfish was nicknamed the 'Stringbag'.

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background

The Battle of Taranto, also known as the Raid on Taranto, and Operation Judgement took place on the night of 11/12 November 1940 during the Second World War between British naval forces (Admiral Andrew Cunningham) and Italian naval forces (Admiral Inigo Campioni). The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack, employing 21 Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo-bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in the Mediterranean Sea.

The attack struck the battlefleet of the Regia Marina at anchor in the harbour of Taranto, using aerial torpedoes, despite the shallowness of the water. The success of this attack augured the ascendancy of naval aviation over big-gun battleships. According to Cunningham, "Taranto, and the night of 11/12 November 1940, should be remembered forever as having shown once and for all that in the Fleet Air Arm the Navy has its most devastating weapon".

From Wikipedia: Battle of Taranto (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗ · text CC BY-SA 4.0

see

C. Oliver, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

No. 431 Flight RAF, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

key facts

Country: Italy
Started: 11 November 1940
Ended: 12 November 1940

Facts: Wikidata (CC0)

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Richard Opitz, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

politics

Trump and Netanyahu reportedly clash over whether to resume military action against Iran

the gist

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

so what

The United States and Israel have been closely aligned on Iran's nuclear programme and regional threats, so open disagreement between their leaders over military strategy is unusual and closely watched. Whether to resume strikes is a decision with consequences for shipping, oil markets and the wider Middle East.

fun fact

Benjamin Netanyahu has served as Prime Minister of Israel for more years in total than any other person.

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Data: GDELT Project

Illustrative photo · Israel Belkind and Fanny Abramovitch (original) “The Provis…, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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supplementary video · Epimetheus on YouTube ↗

world cultures & travelWikivoyageclassic9th–15th century · Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city on Earth, covering about 3,000 square kilometres

the gist

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.

how it works

The Khmer kings built enormous rectangular reservoirs that caught monsoon rain during the wet season. Earthen dykes and canals moved that water into rice paddies, so farmers could grow crops across much of the year. The surplus food supported craftsmen, builders and the workforce that raised the temples.

so what

Angkor shows how a society without industrial machinery could build a city on a scale that rivals modern metropolises, using engineering and water management instead. Some historians link its decline to drought, flooding and shifts in its water systems, which makes it a long-running case study in how cities depend on managing water. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important archaeological landscapes in Southeast Asia.

fun fact

The outline of Angkor Wat appears on the national flag of Cambodia.