How did the loss of HMS Glorious affect what Britain could bring to Taranto?
Short answerIt removed an experienced strike carrier that likely would have reinforced Illustrious, potentially turning Taranto into a much larger two- or three-carrier attack.
NotesThe loss of Glorious was especially severe because interwar exercises and fighting instructions repeatedly emphasized protecting carriers from cruisers and battlecruisers. She was nevertheless allowed to sail with only two destroyers and was destroyed by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. The loss removed experienced people, aircraft, and one of the Royal Navy's practised strike groups. Had she survived, Glorious would probably have returned to the Mediterranean Fleet and joined Illustrious, either through Gibraltar or around Africa. A two- or three-carrier force involving Glorious and perhaps Eagle could have delivered a much larger attack. That greater torpedo concentration increased the chance of permanently crippling the Italian battle line.