How Did A Raid On An Italian Fleet Influence The Pearl Harbor Attack?
by Charles David Cobb © David Cobb; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation & ww2today.com
When one thinks of a carrier based attack on a fleet in port during WWII, your mind will generally shift to the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, before this attack there was another significant carrier based raid that could have possibly influenced the Pearl Harbor attack. This particular event took place on the other side of the globe and isn’t as well known. Well, at least not as well known in the United States.
In the early stages of WWII England had an issue in the Mediterranean Sea. There was a significant Italian fleet to deal with. Although not known as a naval superpower, the Italians had six battleships and a number of cruisers, which could cause possible problems. This Italian fleet didn’t engage with the British for the most part, but chose a strategy of a “fleet in being”.
A fleet in being is a fleet that projects strength just by sitting in port. If it leaves port it might get destroyed, but while it’s present, it must be accounted for.
The war had extended to North Africa. The Italians were able to cross the Mediterranean to their base in Libya and supply the Axis forces relatively easily. The British wanted to destroy the Italian fleet to gain more…
