5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Naval Aviation - Battle of Taranto, Silver Proof

The Battle of Taranto, November 1940, was the first all-aircraft naval strike in history — Swordfish biplanes launched from HMS Illustrious crippled three Italian battleships in a single night and shifted the balance of power in the Mediterranean at a stroke. The U.S. Navy studied the attack closely; Japanese naval planners studied it more closely still, and applied its lessons at Pearl Harbor thirteen months later.

Guernsey's commemorative program has long issued silver proofs tied to British military anniversaries, typically through the Pobjoy Mint. KM#231a is the silver variant of a base-metal issue released the same year.