Bardia
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Bardia, January 1941—now that was a proper kick in the teeth for the Italians, and the Aussies delivered it with style.
This was the first big ground fight cooked up and led by an Australian outfit—6th Australian Division, under General Mackay—and let me tell you, those boys weren’t there to play games. Their target? Bardia, a heavily fortified Italian stronghold in Libya. Italians thought they were sitting pretty behind wire, guns, and concrete. Big mistake.
The 16th Brigade hit ’em from the west—smart move, weakest spot in the line. The engineers crawled through hell, cut through barbed wire, filled anti-tank ditches, and cleared a path like pros. Then came the punch: Matilda II tanks from the Brits’ 7th Royal Tank Regiment rolled in with the infantry. After that, it was a hammer-and-anvil job—17th and 19th Brigades came crashing in to finish the job.
By the end, Bardia was ours. Thousands of Italians surrendered, and the whole damn front cracked wide open. That victory let the Allies charge deeper into Libya and gave Rommel a reason to pack his bags for North Africa.
The Aussies proved two things at Bardia: one, they could plan and fight like hell; and two, when you combine tanks, grit, and coordination—you win. That’s the kind of war I like: fast, bold, and overwhelming.
~~ General Howitzer
7 VP’s
Card Balance:
Allies – 6 + 2 Combat Cards
Axis – 6 + 2 Combat Cards
(Note that Italian rules call for a loss of one Command Card for every Italian unit/hex lost, until 3 remain.)
Complexity:
2
Conditions:
Desert
Context:
Historical
Location:
Libya
Year:
1943
Theater:
Mediterranean
Campaign:
Western Desert Campaign
Codename:
It was part of Operation Compass
Summary:
Objectives:
7 VP’s, including two building territorial objectives and two hill territorial objectives for the Allies
Battlefield:
Desert terrain with a branching roads running through it, and some dunes.
Troops:
Allies – 8 Infantry, 4 Armor, 2 Artillery
Axis – 10 Infantry, 1 Armor, 2 Artillery
Allied Strategy:
1. Big Picture Strategy: follow the roads that points like an arrow to your targets in the center section, which contains four territorial medals awaiting you at the two towns and two hills.
2. Watch out for your right half of the battlefield which is dominated by the Italian artillery.
Axis Strategy
1. Big Picture Strategy: stay behind the sandbags! The Italians are in a defensive posture, and tactical wins are not worth the cost to your forces should you venture forth from your sandbags.
2. Be aware that the rules of engagement for the Italian nation is that for every unit/hex which gets destroyed, you lose one command card, down to three cards in your hand. This makes the loss of any unit devastating to your offensive capabilities.
3. You have a strong set of Artillery on the left side of the battlefield. Use them at every opportunity.
Battle Reports
Author:
Days of Wonder
Link:
