{"product_id":"fairey-swordfish-faa-rn-historic-flight-rnas-yeovilton-scale-1-72-copy","title":"FAIREY SWORDFISH MKI, P4154 \/ 4M,BATTLE OF TARANTO, NOVEMBER 1940                  1\/72                         Scale: 1\/72 (Copy)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn the night of 11th\/12th November 1940, the Fleet Air Arm launched one of the most audacious naval air strikes of the Second World War. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith Italy's powerful navy threatening British forces across the Mediterranean, 'Operation Judgement' was conceived as a bold solution, send ageing Fairey Swordfish biplanes against the Italian Fleet moored in Taranto Harbour. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTwenty Swordfish attacked in two waves, armed with torpedoes and bombs. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSwordfish L4M, crewed by Lt(A) H. Swayne RN and Sub Lt(A) J. Buscall, formed part of the first wave's torpedo attack. Flying at extremely low level, they lined up on the Battleship Littorio and released their torpedo from just 400 yards, passing through the ship's masts during their daring pullout. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe torpedo struck home, causing serious damage to the Italian warship.The raid proved devastatingly effective, demonstrating that even the most powerful battleships were vulnerable to air attack. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis successful operation showed that the aircraft carrier and its aircraft would now dominate naval warfare. The tactical lessons learnt at Taranto were studied intensively by Japanese naval commanders, directly influencing their planning for the Pearl Harbor attack the following year.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eScale 1\/72\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Navy Wings Flight Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57201813062010,"sku":"MO-SWORDFISH- TARANTO-CA36312","price":69.98,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1795\/3033\/files\/SwordfishTaranto3.jpg?v=1787643274","url":"https:\/\/shop.navywings.org.uk\/products\/fairey-swordfish-faa-rn-historic-flight-rnas-yeovilton-scale-1-72-copy","provider":"Navy Wings Flight Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}