248: Taranto Pt. 2 - The Attack

On the night of November 11, 1940, the HMS Illustrious launched two waves of Swordfish torpedo bombers against the Italian fleet anchored at Taranto. Despite losing formation in the clouds and facing intense anti-aircraft fire, the British pilots pressed home their attacks against the Italian battleships. When the smoke cleared, three battleships—the Littorio, Conti di Cavour, and Duilio—had been torpedoed and damaged, with the Cavour never returning to service. This episode covers the dramatic night attack, the damage inflicted on the Italian fleet, and the aftermath that shifted the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean while providing a glimpse of the future of carrier-based warfare. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on History of the Second World War. History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to 248: Taranto Pt. 2 - The Attack online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

248: Taranto Pt. 2 - The Attack is an episode from History of the Second World War by Wesley Livesay.

This episode is 25:56 long.

This episode was published on Feb 16, 2026.

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