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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.  

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 stopped by British anti-tank guns that were wheeled into place by trucks, and the brave action of two Australian sergeants operating a captured Italian anti-tank gun. The local Italian commanders were now irretrievably losing. However, they were fighting desperately, but were fighting against better-trained infantry that properly deployed supporting machine-gun carriers to take strongpoint after strongpoint. 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.  

The Australian 2nd/5th Battalion from the 17th Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Walker, now took over the advance and covered 15 miles (24 km) in nine hours, was now moving forward to take the Italian perimeter. The battalion's task was to clear "The Triangle". The sun had now risen, so Captain Smith's company came under effective fire from machine-guns within 700 yards (640 m), and soon the lead company was pinned down suffering several casualties almost immediately. Captain Griffiths called for 3-inch (76 mm) mortars and Vickers machine-guns of the 1st Battalion, ''Northumberland Fusiliers'' ("The Fighting Fifth") to fire at the Italian positions. This proved effective, another company advanced along the Wadi Scemmas, eventually collecting 3,000 prisoners. After Post 24 had been taken, two Matilda tanks arrived and they helped to take Post 22. Here an unfortunate incident occurred. As the prisoners were being rounded up, one shot the company commander dead, then threw down his rifle and climbed out of the pit smiling broadly. He was immediately thrown back and a Bren gun emptied into him. The company second-in-command then had to prevent his soldiers from killing the other prisoners. The incident was witnessed by the Italians at Post 25 some 500 yards (455 m) away who quickly surrendered. Italian fire was still fairly heavy, mainly machine-guns and rifles, and Brigade Major Brock, upon hearing of the losses in the 2nd/5th Battalion (including two officers that had been wounded), sent Captain Savige's rifle Company of the 2nd/7th Battalion to capture "The Triangle". Savige gathered his men and with the help of machine-gun teams attacked the objective, 3,000 yards (2,700 m) away. The company captured several artillery guns, machine-guns and many prisoners on the way, but sustained 50 percent casualties in the process.  

The Australian 2nd/5th Battalion from the 17th Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Walker, now took over the advance and covered 15 miles (24 km) in nine hours, was now moving forward to take the Italian perimeter. The battalion's task was to clear "The Triangle". The sun had now risen, so Captain Smith's company came under effective fire from machine-guns within 700 yards (640 m), and soon the lead company was pinned down suffering several casualties almost immediately. Captain Griffiths called for 3-inch (76 mm) mortars and Vickers machine-guns of the 1st Battalion, ''Northumberland Fusiliers'' ("The Fighting Fifth") to fire at the Italian positions. This proved effective, another company advanced along the Wadi Scemmas, eventually collecting 3,000 prisoners. After Post 24 had been taken, two Matilda tanks arrived and they helped to take Post 22. Here an unfortunate incident occurred. As the prisoners were being rounded up, one shot the company commander dead, then threw down his rifle and climbed out of the pit smiling broadly. He was immediately thrown back and a Bren gun emptied into him. The company second-in-command then had to prevent his soldiers from killing the other prisoners. The incident was witnessed by the Italians at Post 25 some 500 yards (455 m) away who quickly surrendered. Italian fire was still fairly heavy, mainly machine-guns and rifles, and Brigade Major Brock, upon hearing of the losses in the 2nd/5th Battalion (including two officers that had been wounded), sent Captain Savige's rifle Company of the 2nd/7th Battalion to capture "The Triangle". Savige gathered his men and with the help of machine-gun teams attacked the objective, 3,000 yards (2,700 m) away. The company captured several artillery guns, machine-guns and many prisoners on the way, but sustained 50 percent casualties in the process.