Battle of Taranto in World War II

The Battle of Taranto was fought the night of November 11/12, 1940 and was part of the Mediterranean Campaign of World War II (1939-1945). In 1940, British forces began battling the Italians in North Africa. While the Italians were easily able to supply their troops, the logistical situation for the British proved more difficult as their ships had to traverse almost the entire Mediterranean. Early in the campaign, the British were able to control the sea lanes, however by mid-1940 the tables were beginning to turn, with the Italians outnumbering them in every class of ship except aircraft carriers. Though they possessed superior strength, the Italian Regia Marina was unwilling to fight, preferring to follow a strategy of preserving a fleet in being. Concerned that Italian naval strength be reduced before the Germans could aid their ally, Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued orders that action be taken on the issue. Planning for this type of eventuality had begun as early as 1938, during the Munich Crisis, when Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, directed his staff to examine options for attacking the Italian base at Taranto. During this time, Captain Lumley Lyster of the carrier HMS Glorious proposed using its aircraft to mount a nighttime strike. Convinced by Lyster, Pound ordered training to commence, but the resolution of the crisis led to the operation being shelved.   Upon departing the Mediterranean Fleet, Pound advised his replacement, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, of the proposed plan, then known as Operation Judgement. The plan was reactivated in September 1940, when its principal author, Lyster, now a rear admiral, joined Cunninghams fleet with the new carrier HMS Illustrious.  Cunningham and Lyster refined the plan and planned to move forward with Operation Judgement on October 21, Trafalgar Day, with aircraft from HMS Illustrious and HMS Eagle. The British Plan The composition of the strike force was later changed following fire damage to Illustrious and action damage to Eagle. While Eagle was being repaired, it was decided to press on with the attack using only Illustrious. Several of Eagles aircraft were transferred to augment Illustrious air group and the carrier sailed on November 6. Commanding the task force, Lysters squadron included Illustrious, the heavy cruisers HMS Berwick and HMS York, the light cruisers HMS Gloucester and HMS Glasgow, and the destroyers HMS Hyperion, HMS Ilex, HMS Hasty, and HMS Havelock.    Preparations In the days before the attack, the Royal Air Forces No. 431 General Reconnaissance Flight conducted several reconnaissance flights from Malta to confirm the presence of the Italian fleet at Taranto. Photographs from these flights indicated changes to the bases defenses, such as the deployment of barrage balloons, and Lyster ordered the necessary alterations to the strike plan. The situation at Taranto was confirmed on the night of November 11, by an overflight by a Short Sunderland flying boat. Spotted by the Italians, this aircraft alerted their defenses, however as they lacked radar they were unaware of the impending attack. At Taranto, the base was defended by 101 anti-aircraft guns and around 27 barrage balloons. Additional balloons had been placed but had been lost due to high winds on November 6. In the anchorage, the larger warships normally would have been protected by anti-torpedo nets but many had been removed in anticipation of a pending gunnery exercise. Those that were in place did not extend deep enough to fully protect against the British torpedoes. Fleets Commanders: Royal Navy Admiral Sir Andrew CunninghamRear Admiral Lumley Lyster24 torpedo bombers, 1 aircraft carrier, 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 4 destroyers Regia Marina Admiral Inigo Campioni6 battleships, 7 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 8 destroyers Planes in the Night Aboard Illustrious, 21 Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers began taking off on the night of November 11 as Lysters task force moved through the Ionian Sea. Eleven of the planes were armed with torpedoes, while the remainder carried flares and bombs. The British plan called for the planes to attack in two waves. The first wave was assigned targets in both the outer and inner harbors of Taranto. Led by Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Williamson, the first flight departed Illustrious around 9:00 PM on November 11.   The second wave, directed by Lieutenant Commander J. W. Hale, took off approximately 90 minutes later. Approaching the harbor just before 11:00 PM, part of Williamsons flight dropped flares and bombed oil storage tanks while the remainder of the aircraft commenced their attack runs on the 6 battleships, 7 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 8 destroyers in the harbor. These saw the battleship Conte di Cavour hit with a torpedo that caused critical damage while the battleship Littorio also sustained two torpedo strikes. In the course of these attacks, Williamsons Swordfish was downed by fire from  Conte di Cavour. The bomber section of Williamsons flight, led by Captain Oliver Patch, Royal Marines, attacked hitting two cruisers moored in the Mar Piccolo.    Hales flight of nine aircraft, four armed with bombers and five with torpedoes, approached Taranto from the north around midnight.   Dropping flares, the Swordfish endured intense, but ineffective, antiaircraft fire as they began their runs. Two of Hales crews attacked Littorio scoring one torpedo hit while another missed in an attempt on the battleship  Vittorio Veneto.   Another Swordfish succeeded in striking the battleship  Caio Duilio with a torpedo, tearing a large hole in the bow and flooding its forward magazines.   Their ordnance expended, the second flight cleared the harbor and returned to Illustrious. Aftermath In their wake, the 21 Swordfish left Conte di Cavour sunk and the battleships Littorio and Caio Duilio heavily damaged. The latter had been intentionally grounded to prevent its sinking. They also badly damaged a heavy cruiser. British losses were two Swordfish flown by Williamson and Lieutenant Gerald W.L.A. Bayly.   While Williamson and his observer Lieutenant N.J. Scarlett were captured, Bayly and his observer, Lieutenant H.J. Slaughter were killed in action. In one night, the Royal Navy succeeded in halving the Italian battleship fleet and gained a tremendous advantage in the Mediterranean. As a result of the strike, the Italians withdrew the bulk of their fleet farther north to Naples. The Taranto Raid changed many naval experts thoughts regarding air-launched torpedo attacks. Prior to Taranto, many believed that deep water (100 ft.) was needed to successfully drop torpedoes. To compensate for the shallow water of Taranto harbor (40 ft.), the British specially modified their torpedoes and dropped them from very low altitude. This solution, as well as other aspects of the raid, was heavily studied by the Japanese as they planned their attack on Pearl Harbor the following year.

Comparison of A Dolls House and Antigone - 1248 Words

â€Å"The Empowered Woman, she moves through the world with a sense of confidence and grace. Her once reckless spirit now tempered by wisdom. Quietly, yet firmly, she speaks her truth without doubt or hesitation and the life she leads is of her own creation.† --Excerpt from ‘The Empowered Woman’ by Sonny Carroll In my mind, Sonny Carroll’s poem perfectly represents what an empowered woman should be; firm, determined and able to stand on her own feet. The characters of Nora and Antigone, from Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ and Sophocles’ ‘Antigone’ respectively, completely fit my description of ‘the empowered woman’. As inspiring figures, they left me wondering how they maintained their identities even in their†¦show more content†¦The concluding act of Nora walking out of her house perfectly symbolizes her awakening of the reinvented woman. As she does this, she tries to find her true self: an independent, bold and brave woman who is no longer affected by societal and personal pressure. While Nora plays a significant role in showing Ibsen’s concern for women, she is not the only female character. Mrs. Linde and the Nurse also show the characteristics of strong and sacrificial women. For instance, Mrs. Linde sacrifices her true love to marry a wealthy man she does not love, to obtain a financial aid for her mother and brothers. Likewise, the Nurse takes a bold step of forgoing her own child to look after Nora as a child and her children, without hesitation. These examples clearly demonstrate that women were not as subordinate to men as they appeared. They had their independent struggles going on inside, all the time. Moreover, Sophocles’ Antigone is defiant, aggressive and progressive compared to the typical Greek women of those times who were confined to the gynaikeion—an assigned place for women in a Greek house—and were considered extremely inferior to men in every aspect of their lives. Gender played an inevitable role during the 4th century, where men were ranked way above women and thus Creon, the egoistic and haughty tyrant, could not accept defeat from Antigone, a woman. I quote, â€Å"We must not yield to women. It would be better, if it had to be, to fallShow MoreRelatedComparison Of Antigone And The Dolls House1400 Words   |  6 PagesAnother theme that prevails in both the plays is power. It is exactly what the two characters Creon and Helmer in both the plays namely Antigone and the Dolls house had. Creons tyrannical power on a macro scale as a ruler with Helmers high handed treatment of his wife on a micro level as head of a family is to be discussed in this essay. Both men come across as misogynists. Their quickness to judge and judge harshly seems to be emphasized in both cases. Creon is shown with diverse relationsRead More Comparison Between the Characters of Antigone and A Doll’s House1456 Words   |  6 PagesA Comparison Between the Characters of Antigone and A Doll’s House   Ã‚  Ã‚   There have always been fundamental differences between the mentalities of the male and female sexes. At one time, women were considered as a possession of the father or husband. Women were denied participation in public life, they had restricted access to education, and they werent legally allowed to own property. This oppression of women did not prevent them from fighting for, and obtaining, equal rights.   It seems thatRead More A Comparison of Antigone and A Dolls House Essay688 Words   |  3 PagesSimilarities in  Antigone and A Dolls House    Ibsens A Dolls House has been called the first modern play. 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Nora goes against the grain of middle class society by first forging her fathers signature and then deceiving her husband, Torvald, throughout their marriage; Antigone, on the other hand, openly challenges and defies the rule of men, including herRead MoreA Character Comparison: Nora vs. Antigone Essay1922 Words   |  8 Pages 2005 World Literature Paper I A Character Comparison: Nora Vs. Antigone In the novels A Dolls House and Antigone, Ibsen and Sophocles respectively create two lead female characters, Nora and Antigone, who confront societys expectations of women in fundamentally different ways. Nora goes against the grain of middle class society by first forging her fathers signature and then deceiving her husband, Torvald, throughout their marriage; Antigone, on the other hand, openly challenges and defiesRead MoreWhat Makes a Hero1664 Words   |  7 Pagesheroic qualities however this mere discovery of a few characteristics does not warrant him the full title of a true hero. 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John Stuart Mill wrote in his essay, â€Å"The SubjectionRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pageson the Floss The Awakening Moby-Dick Billy Budd Mrs. Dalloway Bleak House Native Son Bless Me,Ultima One Hundred Years of Solitude Catch-22 Othello Crime and Punishment The Scarlet Letter The Crucible Slaughterhouse-Five A Farewell to Arms Song of Solomon Ghosts The Stone Angel The Great Gatsby The Stranger Heart of Darkness A Tale of Two Cities The House of Mirth Their Eyes Were Watching God Jude the Obscure 2003 (Form A): According

Nutritional Value of Foxtail Millet

Question: Discuss about theNutritional Value of Foxtail Millet. Answer: Introduction: Foxtail millet is a leading plant that is grown in the arid and semi-arid areas that have the limited water supply. It is mostly grown in Asia and the sub-Saharan Africa. However, it has some nutritional value to the human body, which has an upper hand in the body defense. Its food contents are sufficient in the protection of diabetes type two diseases. (Ren, Chen, Molla, Wang, Shen, Diao, 2016). This paper assesses the digestibility properties and in-vitro starch responses for foxtail millet and its products. The conclusion of the study is that starch digestion of the flour products of foxtail millet and other products in the protein digestion is high. Therefore, products of foxtail millet have a different nutritional value which varies in the following categories that will be discussed in the findings of the research paper. The paper details the research findings of the nutritional value of millet products plus the laboratory experimental results are presented in a broad manner. T he paper further seeks to present the conclusions of the research, the limitations, and drawbacks of the methodologies used and the relation of the study to other relevant fields. In Vitro properties of Carbohydrate Digestion Millet products have a paramount function in the human body. This type of plant is classified to have a high percentage of starch, sugar, and the lipids. During digestion process, various properties of the starch vary due to the different tests in the laboratory. There are numerous examples in the research study, which show variable results from the practical point of view. The study samples were randomly placed in different measuring parameters. The experiment shows that at different room temperature, the property of starch in solution form dissolves at different rates and this is activated by the enzyme reaction. The millet grown in the arid and semi- dry conditions have withstanding atmospheric conditions. The primary source of the nutritional value of food to not change in the high temperatures such that its enzyme reactions are not altered when the temperatures is high. Another unique property of carbohydrate digestion as discovered in the research was the compatibility of the e nzyme reaction in the blood glycogen (Taylor Duodu, 2015). In Vivo Glycemic digestion Response The digestion of the starch content in foxtail millet was determined in various health subjects. For each question assumed different standards of glucose solution whereby blood samples were done by applying the intravenous catheter in the research study. The sample study was a collection of blood samples, which was then divided into various tubes and placed under different reaction conditions. The results show that foxtail millet reacts slowly at a high temperature compared to low temperature. Blood laboratory tests in various glucose test also had a variety of results in the starch digestion responses. Blood with a lot of starch individuals is prone to diabetes type two, which limits the concentration of insulin in the blood stream. In this test, when examining the boiling percentage of water content which was cooked about 40 minutes and then cooled at a slow rate to an approximately zero degrees celsius using a product of potassium hydroxide, the results extracted was clearly indic ating a low percentage of insulin. Findings The results of the research clearly show that lipids, starch, and proteins are the primary sources of serial plantations. In the human body diet, their force combination plays a very vital function in the digestion of carbohydrates. In the digestive system, this influences the response of plant glucose (Taylor, Emmam, Beux Kruger, 2015).When different fractions of starch are determined in the millet flour with the wheat flour; it plays a significant control in the reaction of the body. Similarly, the research observation records a slightly decreased level of amylase lipids in the reaction due to the opposing force of enzymes. This is responsible in the accumulative amylose degree of polymerization, lipid chain, length, and complexion temperature. In addition, the significance of starch digestion influences hydrophobicity of fats in the body. In the same breath, starch, and proteins condense in the importance of enzymes. This is confirmed in the addition of the protease, which increa ses efficiency in digestion. Most of the findings in the research studied and RS record high percentage in raw millet flour compared to the content, which is in the defatted millet flour. The raw powder has high content because it has a natural taste, which had not been tampered with by the technological tests. However, in the defatted flour of millet the content of starch is very little as a fact due to the destruction of a vital complex chain of lipids, which activates the enzymes that accumulates other polymerization units. Finally, experimental finding of all tests gave a variation in results at different levels of laboratory temperature (Ren, 2016). The Limitations and Drawbacks in the Research Methods The research methods used in the study faces some shortcomings in the application. The research study was involved in GI which was taken as a golden stand in the classification of starch as the major primary food substance. The study, therefore, analyses the evaluations of the effects and modifications procedures of starch digestibility in the foxtail millet. In addition, the study concluded that one of the modest drawbacks was the peak concentration of the content of starch in the porridge, which gives a higher standards of glucose in the human body. When it comes to this period, the content of millet in the oatmeal flour, which was seen in the experiment, took a long time to dissolve which took 30 minutes and 45 minutes respectively. However, blood sugar concentration, which was obtained in the cooked millet, was lower than the standard solutions of glucose. The results gave us around 73.4% compared to uncooked millet flour, which has 65.2% concentration content of the starch (Ren, 2016). Moreover, another challenge in the research study was analyzed in determining pure millet produce at different levels of seasons. In the laboratory, when parameters show the results of foxtail millet produce at a peak season indicates a wide variation of that millet that was obtained in a low season. However, there is more range of concrete work, which the researcher should carry out in the determination of in vitro results of the digestibility of starch. The people of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa should take an affirmative resolution to avoid the development of type2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This affects the nutritional value content of food in blood insulin, which slows down the enzymes reaction.in the same breath, environmental factors acted as a barrier in the obtaining of precise results from the laboratory test of the research study. This is due to the natural forces of changes in weather conditions that were beyond field study control. Another drawback was seen during laboratory tests in the insulin reactions since a high temperature alters a reasonable rate of results. In the same breath, many environmental factors limit the accuracy of the expected results such as uncontrolled rising and falling off the enzymatic reactions, which exhibited the typical reactions. However, the type two diabetes, which was majorly, c aused by the insufficiency insulin and glycogen percentages in the body (Taylor, Emmambux Kruger, 2015). Conclusions The research study analyses the growth conditions of foxtail millet in arid and semi-arid areas of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The digestibility of starch and in vitro response of glycemic reaction in the experimental data shows there is slow digestion at low temperature. Additionally, when millet products are taken in proper proportions, as seen according to the study, a researcher can be able to immune and save the life of a diabetes type two infected people. Several potential epidemiological researchers also reveal that food full of starch content have a high nutritional value in the sustainability of homeostasis in the blood. The research study indicates that the population living in the Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa has a limited chance of getting diabetes two type since the nutrimental value of the millet flour is very high. However, the study was prone to various difficulties such as the environmental changes which limit the way different laboratory reactions were taking place (Taylor, Emmambux Kruger, 2015). Reference Ren, X., Chen, J., Molla, M. M., Wang, C., Shen, Q., Diao, X. (January 01, 2016). In vitro starch digestibility and in vivo glycemic response of foxtail millet and its products. Food and Function, 7, 1, 372-379. Taylor, J. R. N., Emmambux, M. N., Kruger, J. (January 01, 2015). Developments in modulating glycaemic response in starchy cereal foods. Starch - Starke, 67, 79-89. Taylor, J. R. N., Duodu, K. G. (January 30, 2015). Effects of processing sorghum and millets on their phenolic phytochemicals and the implications of this to the health-enhancing properties of sorghum and millet food and beverage products. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 95, 2, 225-237.