#30 - Assault on Bardia (31 Dec 1941 - 2 Jan 1942) - PzC 04 Tobruk '41

Bardia, 31 December 1941: The Italian defenses at Bardia had been build in the years prior to the war along the same lines as those at Tobruk. They had not, however, been completed to the same degree and had been significantly under maintained. This, and the fact that the garrison was almost exclusively Italian, was the reason that British planners selected Bardia as the first of the Axis frontier garrisons that would be reduced. By late December 1941, the more mobile elements of the British 8th Army were pursuing the Germans and Italians across the desert to Agedabia, leaving the 2nd South African Division to look after the frontier. But a number of other formations were left behind as well, due to the fact that the British supply system could not maintain them forward of Tobruk, and this meant that the Bardia attack would be blessed with an excess of artillery support. The South African attack was planned to minimize casualties and was to be broken into two phases. While the New Zealand Cavalry demonstrated in the north, the 3rd SA Brigade, supported by tanks and artillery would break into the defenses from the south, reaching a line running along the escarpment by dark. The next day, the 4th SA Brigade, supported by additional tanks, would attack through them, driving to the city itself. The operation went much according to plan except that the Germans were able to execute a local counterattack that overran the Headquarters of the Kaffrarian Rifles. But this only delayed the unavoidable and the garrison surrendered early on 2 January. One of the more notable references in the documentation of this battle is the actions of the Polish Artillery. It seems that their hatred of the Axis ran so deep that command elements were unable to force them to practice any type of fire discipline. When ever they received an allocation of ammunition, they fired non-stop till it was gone. NOTE: a large amount of artillery was collected by the British for this attack and, because of the Brigade System, most have no spotters. It is recommended that this scenario be played with the "Indirect Fire and Air Strikes by the Map" optional rule. [Size: medium, Length: 22 turns]