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==Battle of Bardia==

==Battle of Bardia==

On 3 January 1941, following the reorganisation of his forces (now re-named XIII Corps), O'Connor resumed his offensive. As the British Commonwealth forces advanced, several Italian battalions and brigades were surrounded, cut off and forced to surrender. During the previous days, Royal Air Force Wellington, Bombay and Blenheim bombers dropped over 20,000 pounds of bombs on Tobruk. The Australians captured Bardia on 5 January, capturing 25,000<ref>"The report filed by the British journalist Jan Yindrich for the Australian Associated Press on 5 January was headlined SMASH WAY THROUGH MODERN HINDENBURG LINE: FEW CASUALTIES IN CAPTURING 25,000 PRISONERS." The Longest Siege: Tobruk, The Battle That Saved North Africa, Robert Lyman, p. 59, Pan Australia, 2009</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19410106&id=Ju4nAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p2kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4473,5225826&hl=en Bardia Falls to British, 25,000 Fascists Captured, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6 January 1941]</ref>or 45,000<ref>"On 3 January, O'Connor's assault on Bardia was launched with 22 Matildas leading the way as "can-openers." The Italian defence quickly collapsed and by the third day, 45,000 surrendered."  An analytical history of World War II, Volume 1, Edward Norman Peterson, p.276, P. Lang, 1995</ref><ref>"By 1745 hours on 4 January, Italian forces in Bardia had surrendered. The British netted 45,000 prisoners, 462 guns, 117 light, and 13 medium tanks."  Intelligence and Anglo-American Air Support in World War Two: The Western Desert and Tunisia, 1940-43, B. Gladman, p.50, Springer, 2016</ref>(depending on the source) Italians, suffering 130 killed and 326 wounded in the process. The Italian armament captured included 462 guns of various kind, 12 serviceable medium tanks, 115 L3/35 tankettes and 708 motor vehicles.

On 3 January 1941, following the reorganisation of his forces (now re-named XIII Corps), O'Connor resumed his offensive. As the British Commonwealth forces advanced, several Italian battalions and brigades were surrounded, cut off and forced to surrender. During the previous days, Royal Air Force Wellington, Bombay and Blenheim bombers dropped over 20,000 pounds of bombs on Tobruk. The Australians captured Bardia on 5 January, capturing 25,000<ref>"The report filed by the British journalist Jan Yindrich for the Australian Associated Press on 5 January was headlined SMASH WAY THROUGH MODERN HINDENBURG LINE: FEW CASUALTIES IN CAPTURING 25,000 PRISONERS." The Longest Siege: Tobruk, The Battle That Saved North Africa, Robert Lyman, p. 59, Pan Australia, 2009</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19410106&id=Ju4nAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p2kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4473,5225826&hl=en Bardia Falls to British, 25,000 Fascists Captured, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6 January 1941]</ref>or 45,000<ref>"On 3 January, O'Connor's assault on Bardia was launched with 22 Matildas leading the way as "can-openers." The Italian defence quickly collapsed and by the third day, 45,000 surrendered."  An analytical history of World War II, Volume 1, Edward Norman Peterson, p.276, P. Lang, 1995</ref><ref>"By 1745 hours on 4 January, Italian forces in Bardia had surrendered. The British netted 45,000 prisoners, 462 guns, 117 light, and 13 medium tanks."  Intelligence and Anglo-American Air Support in World War Two: The Western Desert and Tunisia, 1940-43, B. Gladman, p.50, Springer, 2016</ref>(depending on the source) Italians and Libyans, suffering 130 killed and 326 wounded in the process. The Italian armament captured included 462 guns of various kind, 12 serviceable medium tanks, 115 L3/35 tankettes and 708 motor vehicles.

The assault on Bardia was launched at dawn from the south-western perimeter of the defences by the Australian 6th Infantry Division, supported by the British ''Northumberland Fusiliers'' and the remaining 25 tanks of 7th RTR. The British 7th Armoured Division and Free French Forces were tasked with ensuring that the Bardia garrrison could not escape or receive reinforcements. By nightfall, the Australians had penetrated two miles (3 km) on a nine-mile (14 km) frontage, capturing 8,000 Italians.

The assault on Bardia was launched at dawn from the south-western perimeter of the defences by the Australian 6th Infantry Division, supported by the British ''Northumberland Fusiliers'' and the remaining 25 tanks of 7th RTR. The British 7th Armoured Division and supporting Free French Forces were tasked with ensuring that the Bardia garrrison could not escape or receive reinforcements. By nightfall, the Australians had penetrated two miles (3 km) on a nine-mile (14 km) frontage, capturing 8,000 Italians.

On crossing the startline the Australian 2nd/1st Battalion soon suffered casualties, losing 4 killed and 10 wounded. Nevertheless, it continued to advance under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Eather while still under fire from mortar crews and artillery batteries. The lead platoons advanced accompanied by engineer parties carrying bangalore torpedoes-12 foot (4m) pipes packed with ammonal-as Italian artillery fire began to land in and around them. Immediately after the torpedoes are fired, the infantry scrambled to their feet and rushed forward while the engineers hurried to break down the anti-tank ditch. The Italian platoons defending Posts 49, 47 and 46 were rapidly overrun. Within half an hour Post 48 had also surrendered and another Australian company forced the surrender of the platoons tasked with the defence of Posts 45 and 44. The two other rifle companies now advanced beyond these positions as artillery began to fall along the broken wire. At 06.30 the Australian 2/2nd Battalion found that it was best to keep skirmishing forward throughout this advance, because taking cover for any length of time meant sitting in the middle of the defensive artillery fire concentrations that inflicted further casualties. The Australian troops made good progress, six tank crossings were ready and mines between them and the wire had been detected. Five minutes later, 23 Matilda tanks from 7 RTR advanced accompanied by 2nd/2nd Battalion smoking en singing ''"South of the Border"''. Passing through the gaps, they swung right along the double line of abandoned reinforced concrete bunkers. Italian morale was broken, worn down by six weeks of aerial and naval bombardment and lack of food and water. But other units were determined to fight. The companies of the 2nd/1st Battalion succeeded in taking several hundred prisoners, a battalion of the 1st Blackshirt Division. However, the machine-gun carriers of A Squadron, under Major Denzil Macarthur-Onslow, from the 6th Division's Cavalry Regiment encountered problems as they moved forward during the initial attack. One of the Bren gun carriers was hit and destroyed in the advance and another near Wadi Ghereidia.  

On crossing the startline the Australian 2nd/1st Battalion soon suffered casualties, losing 4 killed and 10 wounded. Nevertheless, it continued to advance under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Eather while still under fire from mortar crews and artillery batteries. The lead platoons advanced accompanied by engineer parties carrying bangalore torpedoes-12 foot (4m) pipes packed with ammonal-as Italian artillery fire began to land in and around them. Immediately after the torpedoes are fired, the infantry scrambled to their feet and rushed forward while the engineers hurried to break down the anti-tank ditch. The Italian platoons defending Posts 49, 47 and 46 were rapidly overrun. Within half an hour Post 48 had also surrendered and another Australian company forced the surrender of the platoons tasked with the defence of Posts 45 and 44. The two other rifle companies now advanced beyond these positions as artillery began to fall along the broken wire. At 06.30 the Australian 2/2nd Battalion found that it was best to keep skirmishing forward throughout this advance, because taking cover for too long meant sitting in the middle of the defensive artillery fire concentrations that inflicted further casualties. The Australian troops made good progress, six tank crossings were cleared and mines between them and the wire had been detected. Five minutes later, 23 Matilda tanks from 7 RTR advanced accompanied by 2nd/2nd Battalion smoking en singing ''"South of the Border"''. Passing through the gaps, they swung right along the double line of abandoned reinforced concrete bunkers. Italian morale was clearly broken, worn down by six weeks of aerial and naval bombardment and lack of food and water. But other units were determined to fight. The companies of the 2nd/1st Battalion succeeded in taking several hundred prisoners, a battalion of the 1st Blackshirt Division. However, the machine-gun carriers of A Squadron, under Major Denzil Macarthur-Onslow, from the 6th Division's Cavalry Regiment encountered problems as they moved forward during the initial attack. One of the Bren gun carriers was hit and destroyed in the advance and another lost near Wadi Ghereidia.  

At 07:50 hours the Australian 2nd/3rd Battalion, supported by the 6th Cavalry Regiment moved off for Bardia. Major Abbot's company advanced to the Italian posts, and attacked a group of sangers with very close fighting; the Italian platoons were cleared with grenades. By 09:20 they had linked with another battalion, strung out in a very thin line, but a squadron of enemy tanks counterattacked, overrunning part of 2nd/3rd Battalion before turning their attention to the south while the supporting British tankers dismissed all reports of them. Finally, they were knocked out by British anti-tank guns that arrived in trucks, with two Australian sergeant operating captured Italian anti-tank guns. The Italian commanders were now irretrievably losing. However, they were fighting desperately, but were fighting against a better trained force, who realized that a patient deployment of its machine-gun carriers would bring victory. By midday, 6,000 Italians POWs had already reached the provosts at the collection point near Post 45, escorted by increasingly fewer guards that the the attacking company commanders could ill afford to detach. The Australian advance was greatly assisted at one point by the heavy shelling from the British Mediterranean Force in the form of HMS ''Barham'', HMS ''Valiant'' and HMS ''Warspite'', accompanied by four destroyers firing for nearly an hour at key targets in the town.  

At 07:50 hours the Australian 2nd/3rd Battalion, supported by the 6th Cavalry Regiment moved off for Bardia. Major Abbot's company advanced to the Italian posts, and attacked a group of sangers with very close fighting; the Italian platoons were cleared with grenades. By 09:20 they had linked with another battalion, strung out in a very thin line, but a squadron of enemy tanks counterattacked, overrunning part of 2nd/3rd Battalion before turning their attention to the south while the supporting British tankers dismissed all reports of them. Finally, they were knocked out by British anti-tank guns that arrived in trucks, with two Australian sergeant operating captured Italian anti-tank guns. The Italian commanders were now irretrievably losing. However, they were fighting desperately, but were fighting against a better trained force, who realized that a patient deployment of its machine-gun carriers would bring victory. By midday, 6,000 Italians POWs had already reached the provosts at the collection point near Post 45, escorted by increasingly fewer guards that the the attacking company commanders could ill afford to detach. The Australian advance was greatly assisted at one point by the heavy shelling from the British Mediterranean Force in the form of HMS ''Barham'', HMS ''Valiant'' and HMS ''Warspite'', accompanied by four destroyers firing for nearly an hour at key targets in the town.