Taranto differed from First World War ideas for aircraft such as the Sopwith Cuckoo. Earlier concepts often treated an air attack as psychological pressure that might goad an enemy fleet into coming to sea. At Taranto, carrier aviation directly damaged capital ships at anchor and forced an operational response. The raid damaged enough ships to discourage an immediate fleet action, yet left the Regia Marina in the war. That combination shows carrier aircraft evolving from an auxiliary pressure tool into an independent naval strike capability.
Notable Point · 7:31-8:16
Naval aviation becomes a fleet-strike weapon
Taranto demonstrated that carrier aircraft had moved beyond trying to provoke a fleet into action and could now damage that fleet inside its own base.