Changes

On crossing the startline the Australian 2nd/1st Battalion soon suffered casualties, losing four killed and ten 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 four killed and ten 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 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.  

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 advancing dangerously close to battalion headquarters<ref>"On the afternoon of 3 January Italian tanks pierced the 2/3rd's thin line and proceeded to threaten its headquarters. This counter-rattack revealed Vivien England's poor control of his battalion and its supporting arms. England had to race the tanks across the desert in his Bren gun carrier to improvise the defence of battalion headquarters, which was saved only by the chance arrival of a paltoon of anti-tank guns." Australian Battalion Commanders in the Second World War, Garth Pratten, Cambridge University Press, 2009</ref>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 (under Lieutenant-Colonel Walker) from the 17th Brigade, now took over the advance and covered 15 miles (24 km) in nine hours. The battalion's task was to clear "The Triangle". The sun had now risen, so Captain Smith's company came under sustained fire from machine-guns within 700 yards (640 m), and soon the lead company was pinned down and suffering casualties. Captain Griffiths called for support from 3-inch (76 mm) mortars and Vickers machine-guns from the ''Northumberland Fusiliers'' ("The Fighting Fifth"). 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 to surrender. He was immediately thrown back and a Bren gun emptied into him. The company second-in-command then had to intervene and prevent his soldiers from killing the other prisoners. The incident was reportedly witnessed by the Italians at Post 25 some 500 yards (455 m) away, who quickly surrendered. 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 reinforce the attack on "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 batteries, machine-gun emplacements and a large number of prisoners on the way, but sustained 50 percent casualties in the process.  

The Australian 2nd/5th Battalion (under Lieutenant-Colonel Walker) from the 17th Brigade, now took over the advance and covered 15 miles (24 km) in nine hours. The battalion's task was to clear "The Triangle". The sun had now risen, so Captain Smith's company came under sustained fire from machine-guns within 700 yards (640 m), and soon the lead company was pinned down and suffering casualties. Captain Griffiths called for support from 3-inch (76 mm) mortars and Vickers machine-guns from the ''Northumberland Fusiliers'' ("The Fighting Fifth"). 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 to surrender. He was immediately thrown back and a Bren gun emptied into him. The company second-in-command then had to intervene and prevent his soldiers from killing the other prisoners. The incident was reportedly witnessed by the Italians at Post 25 some 500 yards (455 m) away, who quickly surrendered. 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 reinforce the attack on "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 batteries, machine-gun emplacements and a large number of prisoners on the way, but sustained 50 percent casualties in the process.