Q&A ยท 44:40-45:00

Why was the follow-up mission cancelled?

A twelve-aircraft repeat was planned for the following night, then cancelled amid bad weather and concern for exhausted crews.

Question

Was a second Taranto mission planned for the following night, and why was it cancelled?

Short answer

It was intended as a repeat raid and was cancelled for weather, although the crews had already been asked to take an extraordinary risk once.

Notes

The plan was essentially a repeat of the first raid, with twelve aircraft tentatively assigned to attack from much the same position. Weather was the official reason it did not proceed. The crews had already completed an exceptionally dangerous operation, and the decision spared them from repeating it against alerted defences. Their remark that the Light Brigade had only been asked to charge once captures the mood.