248: Taranto Pt. 2 - The Attack

History of the Second World War

Wesley Livesay

Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.5 • 626 Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On the night of November 11, 1940, the HMS Illustrious launched two waves of Swordfish torpedo bombers against the Italian fleet anchored at Taranto. Despite losing formation in the clouds and facing intense anti-aircraft fire, the British pilots pressed home their attacks against the Italian battleships. When the smoke cleared, three battleships—the Littorio, Conti di Cavour, and Duilio—had been torpedoed and damaged, with the Cavour never returning to service. This episode covers the dramatic night attack, the damage inflicted on the Italian fleet, and the aftermath that shifted the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean while providing a glimpse of the future of carrier-based warfare. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on History of the Second World War. History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:01.4	wherever you get podcasts. Hello everyone and welcome to History of the Second World War, episode 248, Taranto part two, The Attack.
1:20.9	This week, a big thank you goes out to all of our members for supporting the podcast.
1:25.0	Members get access to ad-free versions of all of the podcast episodes,
1:28.6	plus special member-only episodes released roughly once a month. Head on over to History of
1:33.4	the Second World War.com slash members to find out more. At 6 p.m. on November 11, 1940,
1:41.1	the HMS illustrious would detach itself from a larger Royal Navy force and begin making its way northeast
1:47.3	towards its target. The Illustrius was one of the most advanced aircraft carriers in the world,
1:53.1	the first to be fitted with air search radar, and was just at the beginning of a very storied career.
	...

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