The Regia Marina had years of opportunities to observe the Royal Navy practicing carrier aviation, including night exercises involving Italian ships. Those demonstrations made later surprise at British night operations especially striking. The Swordfish was optimized for a stable, low-speed torpedo release, while fins, balancing, and a tension wire helped the weapon enter shallow harbor water successfully. Peacetime exercises had demonstrated both the night-flying skill and torpedo method that the Italians later faced at Taranto.
Notable Point · 2:16-4:28
Royal Navy exercises offered Italy an aviation warning
British night-flying exercises and the Swordfish's shallow-water torpedo method showed capabilities the Italian Navy would later confront at Taranto.