Q&A ยท 2:11:04-2:11:56

Why did the Royal Navy not immediately return?

The key reason not to repeat Taranto immediately was that the mobile targets had already left the harbour.

Question

Why was there no immediate repeat of the Taranto attack?

Short answer

By the next day, every Italian ship able to move had left, so a repeat would risk aircrews mainly to strike targets already damaged.

Notes

A second night attack would face alerted defenders while offering little new value. Ships able to leave had departed by the end of the following day. Reattacking damaged hulls would expose scarce crews and aircraft for limited gain, while operations around Greece and Crete competed for the same forces. The remaining targets no longer justified repeating the risk.