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Bardia |
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The first Libyan campaign began in late 1940 when British and Indian forces advanced from Egypt into the Italian colony of Libya. The early advance was successful. The second phase was to capture and advance beyond the Italian fortress of Bardia. The 6th Division, Australian Imperial Force was selected to take over from the Indian division that had led the advance. The 6th Division had been raised in late 1939. Its three infantry brigades and supporting troops had trained in Palestine before moving to the Western Desert of Egypt to finalise training and prepare for the forthcoming campaign. The main problem faced by troops of all arms and services while in Palestine and in the Libyan campaign were shortages of equipment. Every infantry battalion was short of its complement of vehicles, anti-tank rifles and other weapons. Only the 2/1st Field Regiment (artillery) was equipped with modern 25-pounder field guns, with the other field regiments going into battle with World War I-vintage artillery. Signals equipment also was in short supply. At the end of December 1940, the 6th Division began taking up positions to advance on Bardia. The attack began on the morning of 3 January 1941 when the 16th and 17th Infantry Brigades, with artillery, tank and engineer support moved against the Italian fortress. It took two days of hard fighting, during which time the 19th Infantry Brigade also entered the battle, to capture the fortress. Almost 500 Australians were killed or wounded. Contrary to popular belief, the Italians offered stout resistance whenever they were encountered in this campaign. They suffered from equipment shortages and leadership deficiencies, as well as air support, but still managed to fight hard on several occasions. At this stage of the war, the Australians respected the Italians as a capable enemy. (That respect would change later on.) The 6th Division, supported by the British 7th Armoured Brigade, then prepared to advance along the coast to take the next fortress, Tobruk. One of the greatest difficulties faced by the British and Australian forces was a shortage of motor transport. Troops and supplies had to be moved forward in lorries. Breakdowns and accidents on dusty roads were common. The transport problem was tackled by making use of hundreds of captured Italian lorries and cars. Makeshift repairs kept others going. Another problem faced by the Australians was medical care and evacuation. The treatment of casualties was well organised, however it was often a 'hellish' trip for those wounded and injured troops bumping along desert roads. Almost three weeks after taking Bardia, the 6th Division launched its next attack against the fortress of Tobruk. The 19th Brigade led the attack. It began before dawn on 21 January 1941. By late morning, the Australians, joined by the 16th Brigade, had advanced deep inside the enemy positions. It took another day and night of fighting for the Italians to surrender. Over 25,000 prisoners were taken, together with additional stocks of vehicles and other supplies. After both of these battles, the Australian troops searched for souvenirs - some being accused of looting. Stocks of wine and spirits were raided and enjoyed. Overall, however, discipline was good. The 6th Division remained in good condition to continue advancing towards Benghazi. By now, the division was essentially pursuing Italian forces retreating into Cyrenaica. The Australian transport and supply situation was improved by utilising Tobruk as a harbour for supply ships coming from Alexandria, Egypt. As well as Australian ground involvement, the RAAF played a part in the air war over Libya. 3 Squadron RAAF, which had arrived from Australia in 1940, flew Gladiator biplane fighters and Lysander army cooperation aircraft during the campaign. The fighter pilots scored a number of aerial victories over the Italians, whose fighters also mostly were biplanes, although casualties also were suffered by the Australians. After Tobruk, the 19th Brigade was sent forward to spearhead the advance to Derna, in cooperation with British tanks. Derna fell to the Australians on 28 January. Plans then were made to continue the advance to Benghazi, while the 17th Brigade pursued forces south from Giovanni Berta. On 6 February, the Australians entered Benghazi, and the advanced continued on a short distance to Beda Fomm, which British tank support, cutting off a large number of Italians. The 6th Division was not able to advance further. Logistic problems prevented the British and Australian forces advancing further into Cyrenaica. Motor transport was now in very short supply, the supply lines were long, and troops were in need of a rest. In April 1941, the 6th Division was withdrawn and sent to Greece. The 9th Division AIF was sent from Egypt to take its place. Short of equipment, its units deployed in the forward area but would soon face newly arrived German troops of the Afrika Korps. The British and Australian forces were then forced to retreat. (See 'Tobruk'.) |
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