During the Abyssinian Crisis, the Mediterranean Fleet expected that war with Italy might begin on short notice. Three carriers were already experiencing the strain of near-combat tempo, so commanders wanted the greatest possible effect from a first blow. Staff used earlier base studies to outline a surprise attack on Taranto, but Britain would not fight Italy alone when the League of Nations did not act. The notes went into storage until Admiral Pound called Captain Lumley Lister aboard Queen Elizabeth in 1938 and asked how to make the plan practical.
Chapter · 13:22-16:04
The Abyssinian Crisis makes a Taranto strike operational
Near-war conditions in 1935 turned accumulated base studies into a first-strike option, which Pound and Lister revived during the next crisis.