Swordfish: The Story of the Taranto Raid

The year 1940 was bad for Britain; German victories in Poland and France left the British fighting alone. On the night of November 11, the Royal Navy’s HMS Illustrious struck back with a daring raid in which 20 Swordfish torpedo bombers inflicted severe losses on the Italian fleet at Taranto. Here is the true story of the raid, an attack which permanently tipped the balance of power in the Mediterranean toward the Allies.