Italian Strategy: Concentrate set-up in the centre with AT-Guns and Artillery/Mortars. Try to funnel Australians into a “death zone”.

The First Hour

Australians begin to advance. Soon the Australians come under heavy fire and have their front men demoralized. Australian reinforcements arrive.

Playnote: I only noticed afterwards that the reinforcements should have included two Matilda platoons. This would have made a huge difference. So, lets see what would have happened to the Australians without the 7th Royal Tank Support!

The eastern Italian entrenchment surrenders as the Australian Captain is killed in action.

The Second Hour

Australians begin to get hit hard by Italian artillery and mortars. An Australian lieutenant is killed and their 81mm mortars eliminated.

The next two Italian entrenchments surrender.

The Third Hour

Italian AA Guns and Infantry assault the Bren demoralizing them. The Italians surrender but the Bren is destroyed by an Italian AT Gun!

The Australians head for the Italian artillery batteries in the southeast.

Australians lose more men assaulting the Italians and Italian mortars claim more lives.

Australian OBA (Off-Board Artillery) is too weak, and the Italians have too much artillery support!

The Italian batteries in the southeast are overrun and the Australian company heads due west for the Italian rear.

The Fourth Hour

Australians push very hard to the Italian entrenchments. The Bren is keeping its distance from the Italian AT Guns. Boy, would a Matilda have come in hand about now

Dug-in Italian infantry is eliminated leaving the Australians in the open who are hit very hard by the Italian line!

The Fifth Hour

The Australians can’t penetrate the concentrated Italians and the Bren is destroyed by long-range fire.

On the south wing, the Australian company and the Bren capture an entrenchment.

Australians suffer casualties in the centre and on the “wing”, losing two half platoons and another Lieutenant.

Italian Colonel and Infantry surrender on the wing as the Australian casualties continue to mount in the centre, including another lieutenant.

The Sixth Hour

Australian OBA finally hits the mortar crews hard eliminated both of them as the Italian tenente deserts.

The Australians continue to push the assaults but continue to suffer. On the wing, the distant entrenchment finally surrenders to the Bren.

The Final Half Hour

The next entrenchment in the south surrenders to the Bren which is in turn hit and destroyed by long range Anti-Tank fire.

In the centre the Australians push the assault and the Italian HMG is reduced but not taken. Unsuccessful, the Australians withdraw.

ITALIAN VICTORY!!!

Aftermath

Australian casualties were 10 steps and the Italians held on to 11 entrenchments. This is a narrow victory for the Italians. I think with the presence of the AT-resistant Matildas, this would likely have been an easy Australian Victory as they only required 3 more entrenchments. They would have also denied the Italians the steps they required, as they wouldn’t have had to put the Brens within AT Gun firing range.

Still, an interesting battle but I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous ones. I believe this is the last of the 3rd January Bardia battles.