Operation Judgement Plus - a more decisive attack on Taranto 11–12 November 1940

Reads like one of the IJN's plans, except the RN had more justification.

Having to maintain operational forces at each end of the Med does not make for a "simple" planning or operational environment.

Best,

I think you can look at Operation MB8 as little more than shuffling assets and supplies etc around the Med with several covering ops (something that an organisation such as the Royal Navy would treat as Business as usual) -

The covering ops were Operation Coat with Force H (Ark Royal) covering followed by Operation Crack where her aircraft attacked Cagliari Airfield on Sardinia - And then Force Ks raid at Otranto (3 CL and 2 DDs) on the same evening as Judgement - Adding Furious to Force H for a week or 2 and shifting Ark Royal East for the Duration say 10th - 14th Nov to operate with Illustrious to conduct 2 attacks on Taranto and then on her way back West she could also have a pop at Tripoli :)

At first I thought the only way the RN was going to find another aircraft carrier would be to avoid the sinking of Courageous and/or Glorious. However, then I thought if Illustrious had relieved Ark Royal in Force H so that The Ark could have been transferred to Alexandria. Then instead of one aircraft carrier with Swordfish aboard it would have been one ship with 48. IIRC 21 of the 24 Swordfish Illustrious had aboard actually took part in the raid so if the availability raids had been the same it would have been 42 out of 48 from Ark Royal.

However, if Ark Royal is still with the Mediterranean Fleet in January 1941 she will be sunk by the Luftwaffe instead of heavily damaged like Illustrious. On the other hand Ark Royal carried more fighters so fewer or even none of the Ju87s might have got through. At the other end of the Mediterranean would Illustrious have been able to damage the Bismarck in May 1941 as effectively as Ark Royal did?

This is a catch 22 thing - greater success @ Taranto in Nov 1940 gives the British greater Freedom of movement in the central med and this probably would mean that the British are more confident at moving supplies to Malta

For example you would not have carriers launching replacement aircraft at extreme range for fear of being intercepted by Italian capital ships allowing for aircraft numbers to be built up at a greater rate and the supplies to operate them.

this is the one that is inexplicable that it wasn't done?

(btw thanks for posting that article very detailed and interesting)

"what if" the British did knock out the two most effective BBs and more? would the Italian navy switch strategy and try to complete the fast DDs instead of repair the BBs? or the pressure on to try and grab some/all French fleet?

with the demonstration of airpower wonder if the Blitz might be curtailed and aircraft sent to the Med? and whatever the cost some accord struck to attack Gibraltar?

It could possibly translate into a grab for the French ships but that would break the Armistice with France earlier than OTL and this has all sorts of implications.

But certainly the Italians were under no illusion that once a BB was killed they would not be able to replace it - hence why they were so careful as to when they deployed them

As for the Subs not sure if the 10th Flottila was operating from Malta at the time (HMS Upholder et all) - but yes surely some one should have thought to place several subs in the area (Maybe they did?)

I think I wrote about this...:p:eek:

Yep I seem to recall that in TWHW the British not only sunk the BBs but the town as well LOL

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I have concluded that the issue was not that the Op was not bigger just that its aims were smaller than we would have liked probably due to it being part of a bigger operation - It like the other attacks conducted as part of MB8 was almost like a covering mission

Perhaps have Judgement being a bigger Operation and not having anything directly to do with Operation MB8!

At minimum I think RAF Bombers should have been involved - as more of the Swordfish should have attacked with Torpedoes with only a handful acting as flare planes and none as bombers - basically they have one job - sink the Italian BBs primarily the two fast Modern ones.

Several subs to deploy close to the Port and following mining ops of the entrances by the Wellington's followed up by a second carrier attack between the 12th and 14th

Ideally have HMS Ark Royal Join Illustrious for the attack with her Additional 30 odd Swordfish and using the Skua's as flare planes - that's 50 odd Torpedoes instead of just the 11 odd.

This would require Furious to replace her for a week or so in the Western Med - but I don't see this as an issue if enough time was given and plans made accordingly.
 
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