The Regia Marina near its peak in 1940

When was the Italian navy at its most powerful?

Probably in 1940, placing the Battle of Taranto near the Regia Marina's wartime high point.

A viewer asks when the Italian navy was at its most powerful. Its high point was probably 1940. Taranto therefore struck the Regia Marina near the beginning of its wartime effort, when the concentrated battle fleet still represented Italy's strongest naval instrument. The raid's effect should be measured against a force near its peak rather than a navy already exhausted by years of war.