Q&A ยท 13:46-14:47

How a larger air group might alter Taranto

A larger British carrier air group could have combined more Swordfish with fighter-borne rocket attacks at Taranto.

Question

How might a larger British carrier air group have changed the attack on Taranto?

Short answer

It could have fielded more Swordfish and added Fulmar rocket attacks, making the strike still more damaging.

Notes

The Swordfish was already an effective strike aircraft. With greater deck capacity or another suitable carrier available, the attack might have included more Swordfish and Fulmars conducting rocket attacks. Carrier capacity changes the composition and weight of a strike, as well as the number of torpedo bombers available. The counterfactual therefore concerns deck capacity and mixed-strike design as much as the Swordfish itself.