Q&A ยท 50:35-51:42

Would faster torpedo aircraft have improved the raid?

Avengers or B5Ns offered more performance, but Taranto's balloons, low approaches, and 1940 weapons made the comparison mission-dependent.

Question

Would Avengers or Nakajima B5Ns have performed better than Swordfish at Taranto?

Short answer

Not automatically: they offered more performance and later torpedoes, but the Swordfish was unusually well suited to Taranto's low, slow, balloon-obstructed attack.

Notes

A faster Avenger or Nakajima B5N would not automatically have produced more hits. Taranto's balloon cables and defensive layout rewarded the Swordfish's ability to manoeuvre slowly at very low altitude. Later aircraft could carry different torpedoes that tolerated faster release speeds and offered greater striking power. Those advantages belonged to weapon systems that were unavailable in 1940. The counterfactual therefore changes the torpedo technology along with the aircraft instead of offering a simple like-for-like upgrade.