Critical Hit is proud to bring you its long awaited SPECIAL EDITION of CH Magazine, the Operation Compass & Wavell's 30,000 issue.
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How did the 'Desert Rats' of O'Connor's Western Desert Force, consisting of 7th Armoured Division (minus a brigade), a support group of two regiments of Royal Horse Artillery, and two motor battalions, do it? The story is laid before you, from the Italian invasion of Egypt to the dramatic ambush at Beda Fomm in the pages of Critical Hit Magazine's OPERATION COMPASS & WAVELL'S 30,000 SPECIAL EDITION.
The story begins at a Frontier Post on the Libyan-Egyptian border on 12 June 1940. The story ends at Sidi Saleh, near Beda Fomm on 7 February 1941. Britian's first land victory of the war rocked the world, and shook the Axis, at a time of unrelenting victories for Hitler and his allies. Rommel would soon be on his way to Tripoli to begin the Axis march on Egypt...
But that's another story! The Op. Compass SE brings the CH Squads & Leaders enthusiast up close in a detailed examination of this long forgotten front in the form of a series of 22 new scenarios depicting actions across the Western Desert.
An important note to CH subscribers and readers:
We are way late on this massive project and apologize for the delay incurred. If you are a subscriber to CH magazine, you will be receiving this issue as part of your subscription, representing your 'Special Edition' that is a normal part of the subscription process. If you are a subscriber and have the Op. Compass issue on order (as part of a Patton Plan for less than half the retail price, you dog!) you will receive a gift certificate along with your Op. Compass, good for $15.95 in CH merchandise (MiH merchandise not applicable to this offer). If you would like to redeem your gift certificate NOW via E-mail, click here and drop us a line (to say, "send me the CH 6/1 for example) or to advise what other CH merchandise you would like (or to get credit off an order placed on our web site—please reference your Order Number).
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Part No. CH9819
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Operation
Compass & Wavell's 30,000 SPECIAL EDITION
The Early War in North Africa like never before...
Map is sold out but this great issue still includes 19 scenarios for geomorphic maps and a new low price of $15.95!
In one of the most memorable campaigns of World War II the British defeated the Italians in Egypt, Libya and Cyrenaica in the last weeks of 1940 and early 1941...
Here's the scenario list to give you an idea of the actions depicted...
FRONTIER POST, LIBYAN-EGYPTIAN BORDER, 12 JUNE 1940: The frontier wire was some 12 feet wide and 16 feet high; the Italians had built it along the Egyptian frontier from the coast near Sollum to the oasis of Jarabub, 150 miles to the south. Patrols from the 11th Hussars and the KRRC quickly breached the wire; attacking at dawn and out of the rising sun, the Hussars surprised and confused the Italian defenders, who watched as their machinegun posts were suppressed by British mortar fire and their light tanks were destroyed by the British armored cars and close-range machinegun fire from the British Vickers Mark VI infantry tanks. These raids, sometimes supported by artillery and heavier armor, continued all through the rest on June and July of 1940, until the British 7th Armoured Division was recalled for a refit in Egypt. The raids destroyed many Italian vehicles, considerable supplies of ammunition and petrol, and significant water storage. Twenty-five Italian officers (including a general of engineers) and five hundred other ranks were captured. This series of raids also marked the beginning of an overall erosion of Italian morale, as the inadequacy of their tank armor and the scarcity of effective antitank weapons and ammunition became apparent.
BARDIA, LIBYA, 11:30 AM, JANUARY 3, 1941: While the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of 16th Australian Brigade were fanning out in a large arc east and northeastward, 5th, 7th, and 6th Battalions of Savige’s 17th Australian Brigade attacked the southwestern and southern parts of the perimeter. Fifth Battalion entered the fight through the bridgehead made by the 16th Australian Brigade earlier in the day and struck southeastward on the flank of the Italian 62nd Marmarica Division. Despite catching them slightly out of position (facing SW instead of NW), the Italians had direct artillery support at their disposal and were unaware of the defeat of the 1st and 2nd Blackshirt Divisions to the north and northwest. To make matters worse, the support of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment was late forcing the Australian 5th Battalion to go in with only a cavalry squadron.
BARDIA, LIBYA, 7:50 AM, JANUARY 3, 1941: Once inside the fortress which covered many square miles, it was much more open than the Italian camps in Egypt. The rear defenses were more scattered and not as mutually supportive. All along the Australians’ advance, small actions developed between platoons of Australians, a troop of Matildas and individual Italian strong points.
NEAR FORT CAPUZZO, LIBYA, 2:00 AM, 12 JUNE 1940: It was a moonlight night; navigation was difficult. The troopers of the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) had donned their rubber-soled shoes in case the barbed wire they had to pass through was electrified (as it turned out, it was not). As quickly and as quietly as possible, they made gaps in the wire, flattening the fence-posts by driving over them; they broke off the wire by bending it back and forth over the bonnets of their Rolls Royce armored cars. Troop No. 4 of A Squadron fired the first shots near Fort Maddalena [??], shooting at a set of moving headlights. The sparks from the bullet's impacts indicated that the target was armored; when the tanks did not stop, A Squadron withdrew, receiving machine-gun fire from the fort as they departed. Troop No. 1 fired at a low-flying Italian aircraft that was circling them. However, it was Headquarters Squadron, moving with B Squadron, that had the first effect. After breaking the wire, B Squadron fanned out north and south, searching for the enemy, while Major Geoffrey Miller deployed the HQ Squadron to guard the gaps in the wire and to be ready to cover the withdrawal of his patrols. Around two o'clock in the morning, Maj. Millar saw vehicle lights approaching. Because he had orders to find out which desert tracks the Italians were using, he allowed one truck to go through the gap in the wire unmolested. He then began to move forward to set up an ambush, but before he could accomplish his aim, four more Italian trucks approached, headlights blazing. Headquarters Squadron opened up on them with everything they had. The Italians haphazardly returned fire for a brief time before they were ordered to surrender. Although outnumbered, Headquarters Squadron made off with 2 Italian officers, 50 other ranks, 9 Breda automatics, 60 rifles, and several boxes of hand grenades. It was all in a night's work.
BARDIA, LIBYA, 8:30 AM, JANUARY 3, 1941: This is another one of those small actions that took place as the Australians were trying to consolidate their early, yet substantial gains. Along with advancing prisoners sometimes came a small, but determined counterattack, as happened when the first stage of the Australian attack came to a close. A feeling of panic ensued as 2nd Platoon realized that they were caught in the open with enemy armor about to overrun them. They had not had a chance to dig foxholes and the 2 pounder anti-tank guns were sitting in the open. An intense, accurate fire soon put the men at ease as the Italian tanks were quickly put out of action while their surviving crews tumbled out to surrender. It had surely been a close run affair - or at least it felt like it.
GHIRBA, LIBYA, 7:00 AM, 16 JUNE 1940. For the British, things could not have gone better.
Fort Maddalena surrendered to A Squadron, 11th Hussars when they
surrounded the fort with armored cars while the RAF bombarded
it from the air. Similarly, Fort Capuzzo was handed over when
the 7th Hussars and a company of the 1st Battalion, King's Royal
Rifle Corps approached and an RAF bomb exploded within one hundred
yards of the fort. The two most important Italian forts on the
frontier had fallen at a cost to the British of two killed and
four wounded. Combe Force (a task force composed of squadrons
from both hussar regiments) now approached a mixed group of Eritrean
infantry and Italian armor and artillery. This force had formed
into a square in the middle of a large open area. A squadron
of the 7th Hussars, reduced by mines and breakdowns, advanced
on the Italians; seven light tanks charged out of the square
to attack them but were shot to pieces in less than a minute.
The hussars then circled twice around the square, pouring machine-gun
fire into the infantry. The Eritrean retaliated by uncovering
four artillery pieces set at the corners of the square, which
commenced firing immediately. But the British machine-gun fire
devastated the crews and destroyed the ammunition trucks. Some
of the Eritrean infantry tried to bolt in trucks, but the armored
cars of A Squadron, 11th Hussars stopped them. The remaining
Italian light tanks tried to break out, but they were also knocked
out. The Italian force had comprised one infantry battalion,
two tank companies, and a motorized artillery battery; 7 officers,
94 men, 4 guns, and 1 light tank were captured without the loss
of a single British casualty!
BARDIA, LIBYA, 4:00 PM, JANUARY 4, 1941: It was the job of 300th Regiment of the Frontier Guards (Fortress) to defend and/or deny the enemy the single most important non-military item in the whole desert theater the water (and the means to pump, process and distribute it). However, with the town in the process of falling and the prisoner experience imminent, morale and motivation were a serious problem.
OUTSIDE OF TOBRUK, LIBYA, 2:30 PM, JANUARY 21, 1941: While the flanks of the defensive perimeter - which was almost 40 miles in length - were being rolled up, 19th Australian Brigade had the task of driving deeper into the Italian position towards the city of Tobruk. While most areas, especially on the outer perimeter, were thinly held, there were clusters of widely separated areas of strong resistance that had to be neutralized before Tobruk could be entered.
OUTSIDE OF TOBRUK, LIBYA, 2:30 PM, JANUARY 21, 1941: A troop of Matilda II tanks from the 7th Royal Tank Regiment under the command of Captain Barker had been shelled for three miles. The troop was unable to tell where the fire originated. Approaching a wadi, Captain Barker spotted a gun flash from a sangar on the wadi’s edge. Ignoring flanking machine-gun and anti-tank fire, he ordered the troop to attack the Italian artillery position.
WEST OF THE FORT OF EL MECHILI, LIBYA, 7:00 AM, JANUARY 24, 1941: Contact was made with the enemy. The enemy occupied a small “Foreign Legion” - type Turkish fort with water, four white watchtowers and a flag staff over the main gate (which was firmly shut). Behind the fort and to the west, were more Italian positions which included medium tanks, artillery and mobile artillery and anti-tank guns. There was also a useful airfield nearby. Italian intelligence, in one of its rare coups of the campaign, had discovered through radio traffic that the British 4th Armoured Brigade was to attack El Mechili on the 24th. The Italians, accordingly, set up an ambush.
DERNA, LIBYA, 1:30 PM, JANUARY 26, 1941: With the favorable defensive terrain in the Djebel Akhdar, ports, railroads, a road network, airfields, and plenty of food and water, it looked as if the Italians would make a stand at Derna. The advance of the Australians had bogged down with the increasing Italian resistance. Talk was in the air. Talk of a German FliegerKorps in Sicily and German armor and anti-tank weapons enroute to Tunis or perhaps even, Benghazi. This temporarily boosted the morale of the retreating Italians.
FRONTIER POST, LIBYAN-EGYPTIAN BORDER, 17 JULY 1940: The men of the armored platoons of the 4th and 7th Armoured Brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were anxious to contribute to harassing the Italians. With the help of the artillery of the 7th Support Group, the raiding forces attempted to tackle a more challenging and-at least on paper-a more formidable position than had been struck in June. Using sunrise and some blowing dust as cover, the British raiding party concentrated on a small point in the defensive perimeter. The rolling artillery barrage that opened the battle created even more dust, which hindered the Italian gunners' ability to hit (or even see) their prospective targets and consequently their ability to support the defending infantry and armor. Marshal Balbo has complained that his L3 light tanks could be penetrated by machine-gun fire; on 25 June he was sent 70 new M11/39 medium tanks. While most of these were sent to the armored regiments, about 16 to 20 were dispersed along the front to provide close mobile support to the infantry and to help deal with British armored cars and light tanks. Although there were a few M11 tanks on hand, it turned out that they were no match for the British 2-pounder guns and could be penetrated by anything larger than an antitank rifle.
COASTAL ROAD, EAST OF SOLLUM, 13 SEPTEMBER 1940: Under threat of being removed from command, Graziani got the his offensive-intended to capture Alexandria-underway. The 10th Army drive consisted of four infantry divisions, two motorized regiments, an armored group, and a lightly armored reconnaissance battalion. Commanded by General "Electric Beard" Bergonzoli, the Italian forward elements were closely monitored by the British covering force under General Gott. The Italians advanced in two columns, one along the coast road through Sollum, the other through the desert south of the escarpment that runs parallel to the coast. A spectacular artillery display heralded the coastal column's progress; heavy shelling hit the unoccupied airfield and barracks at Sollum, as well as stretches of open desert. When the dust and smoke cleared, the British reconnaissance battalion and attached artillery spotters beheld the Italian motorcycles, tanks, and other vehicles drawn up before them, as if on parade. Difficult terrain, searing temperatures, sandstorms, and anti-tank mines slowed the Italian advance to a mere twelve and a half miles a day; the loss of several water trucks didn't help. The close Italian formations made excellent targets for the British artillery and Blenheim bombers. The Italians' desert column soon gave up on its exposed route and descended from the escarpment to join the forces on the coast road. The British fell back as planned, enjoying a gunner's dream of lush targets and closely packed vehicles. The British withdrawal battle was unhurried; on the 16th, the Italians occupied an abandoned Sidi Barrani-a small village consisting of a few mud and brick huts, a police station and a mosque. Mussolini proudly announced over national radio that the trams were again running in Sidi Barrani.
NIBEIWA, EGYPT, 7:30 AM, 9 DECEMBER 1940: The
moonlit night of 8 December 1940 was bitterly cold. Wavell's
"Operation Compass," under the command of General Richard
O'Connor, was about to get underway. Because the Italians overwhelmingly
outnumbered the British, it was essential that the British maintain
the element of surprise. In order to do so, the 4/7th Rajputana
Rifles were to stage a diversionary attack east of the Italian
position, while the 1/6th Rajputana Rifles, the 2nd Queen's Own
Cameron Highlanders, and Lt. Col. R.M. Jerram's 7th Royal Tank
Regiment made for a gap in the Italian defenses. Constant British
bombing, artillery fire, and naval gunfire created enough noise
to mask the sound of mine-clearing and of vehicles moving through
the gap as the moon rose at midnight. They met no Italian patrols;
the Maletti Armored Group in Nibeiwa were good troops, but they
had been left too long in a defensive position where nothing
ever seemed to happen. Even at this late stage, most of the British
troops thought they were conducting a training exercise. But
their officers watched in amazement as their tanks approached
the northwest corner of the Italian position without detection.
At 5:00 AM, the diversionary attack from the east woke the Italians;
by 6:00 AM it was over, and the Italians began the normal routines
of military camp life. At 7:15 AM, British artillery began firing
for effect into the camp while the British Matildas and Mark
VIs rumbled in from the northwest, with the infantry right behind
them. About twenty Italian tanks, unmanned and parked outside
the perimeter, were quickly put out of action; the British tanks
then turned their attention to the Italian artillery and antitank
guns. General Maletti was killed by a burst of machinegun fire
as he emerged from his dugout. Although some of the Italian garrison
fought heroically, the gun crews hurling grenades at the Matildas
when their shot bounced off the British tanks' thick armor, their
infantry surrendered once the guns were put out of action. By
10:40 AM, it was all over. The British had captured 2,000 men
and 35 tanks at a loss of 8 officers and 48 other ranks.
TUMMAR WEST CAMP, EGYPT, 1:00 PM, 9 DECEMBER 1940: While the 11th Indian Brigade was capturing Nibeiwa, Brigadier Lloyd's 5th Indian Brigade (the 1st Royal Fusiliers, the 3/1st Punjab Regiment, and the 4/6th Rajputana Rifles) and a regiment of the 4th Indian Division's artillery were moving in a big arc to the west of Nibeiwa, preparing to attack the next objective, Tummar West. The 7th Royal Tank Regiment had no time to gloat over the havoc they had caused at Nibeiwa; no sooner were they finished there than they were dispatched to support the 5th Indian Brigade. Unfortunately, six tanks were damaged by a minefield they encountered west of the Italian position. Some time had to be taken to reconnoiter the Tummar defenses; the attack could not be launched until afternoon, by which time the element of surprise had been lost. In addition, the weather deteriorated; a sandstorm rose, making target recognition difficult.
COASTAL ROAD WEST OF ALAM EL DAB, 1:00 PM, 10 DECEMBER 1940: While the sandstorms worsened, the 1st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of the 16th British Brigade were given the task of cutting the coast road west of Sidi Barrani. The Highlanders had been moving for more than 24 hours; they were low on water and had gotten lost twice in the storm on their way to the objective. They arrived just before and just in front of a column of Blackshirts, also exhausted. After both sides had caught their breath and assembled their equipment, a furious fight erupted, resulting in mutual severe losses. Although the Italians resisted stiffly, their avenue of escape had been securely sealed off by the timely arrival of tanks from 7th Armoured Brigade, which had reached the coast road further west. Having failed to break free, the Italians surrendered.
SIDI BARRANI, EGYPT, 4:00 PM, 10 DECEMBER 1940: With the Italian camps captured, the last tasks for Operation Compass were to mop up the remnant of the retreating Italians (two Libyan divisions and a motorized regiment) and to wrest Sidi Barrani from the 4th MVSN Division, all in the midst of a paralyzing sandstorm. The Blackshirts were dug in and waiting for the other shoe to drop. The 16th British Brigade, with the addition of the Cameron Highlanders, help from 4th Armoured Brigade, and the entire weight of the division's artillery attacked Sidi Barrani at 4:00 PM. They were through the hamlet and its surrounding encampments in half an hour; before dusk, 16th British Brigade and Selby Force, coming up from Maktilla, had hemmed in the retreating Libyans. By 12 December, the only Italians (other than prisoners) left in Egypt were those blocking the immediate approaches to Sollum and Sidi Omar near Halfaya Pass.
SIDI OMAR, EGYPT, 10:00 AM, 17 DECEMBER 1940: After the withdrawal of two brigades of 4th Indian Division and until the 6th Australian Division could be properly equipped and moved forward, the British were left short of infantry. While the Royal Navy bombarded Fort Capuzzo and Sollum in support of the 7th Armoured Brigade, the 4th Armoured Brigade ranged far to the south and west, passed Sidi Omar, then hooked back north and east to come on the position from the west. Fourth Armoured were too far inland to be supported by the Navy; they had been spotted by Italian reconnaissance, losing the chance of surprise; and they had been bombed heavily, suffering a good many casualties in what was the most devastating Italian air attack of the campaign. However, by the end of the day, 4th Armoured Brigade had seized the position and captured about a thousand soldiers from the 62nd Marmarica Infantry Division, while forcing the remainder of the division to retreat in fear of the encirclement which had recently become so commonplace.
BARDIA, LIBYA, 5:30 AM, JANUARY 3, 1941: The Italians evacuated Sollum and all their posts on the Egyptian frontier on December 16, 1940, retreating to the fortified perimeter of Bardia. The morale of the Italian troops had improved somewhat. The defenses at Bardia were new and complete. An anti-tank ditch, 12 feet wide by 6 to 10 feet deep covered the whole 18 mile perimeter. This was backed by wire and minefields and covered by fire from two lines of mutually supporting pillboxes 800 yards apart. General Bergonzoli had good reason to feel that the British could be defeated if they attacked here. Bardia was also well supplied and contained plenty of ammunition. The town itself was occupied by the 300th Frontier Guards Fortress Troops (Regiment in size) and remnants of the 64th Cantanzaro Division. The perimeter was held by the 2nd Blackshirt (23rd of March) Division in the north, the 1st Blackshirt (28th of October) Division in the west, the 62nd Marmarica Infantry Division in the southwest, and by part of the 63rd Cyrene Division in the south. They were supported by 23rd Corps Artillery Battalion, 61st Light Tank Battalion, and some medium tanks of 1st Raggruppamento penny packets. Opposing them, the 7th Royal Tank Regiment was down to about 25 Matildas, mostly due to breakdowns. The 6th Australian Division, though well- trained, and exibiting high morale, was inexperienced. How well they would perform remained to be seen. Bardia’s weakness lay, like most other fortresses, in the length of its perimeter. An attacker can always concentrate its forces with overwhelming odds on a chosen point (unknown to the defender) in order to break in. It is tough for the defender to hold adequate reserves for counter-attacking breakthroughs while simultaneously devoting sufficient strength to manning the entire perimeter. The length of the perimeter was therefore thinly defended in some places. It was also learned (from Nibeiwa) that it was easy to surprise defenders holding fixed positions. Boredom made observation lax and security in fortifications made men less observant of outside events. Faith was placed in mines, wire, anti-tank trenches, and pillboxes. The desert is very cold at night at this time of year - adding to discourage unnecessary outside ventures - and it was still dark when the artillery barrage began. This was followed by the advance of the 1st Australian Battalion with sappers. Despite heavy shelling and machine-gun fire, it took less than an hour to break down walls of the anti-tank ditch, partially fill it and, create a slope that the tanks could drive on. With the help of some smoke and bangalore torpedoes, they blew holes in the wire and cleared a path in the minefield where the follow-up attack could originate from. In the process, a few pillboxes were knocked out to reduce the amount of covering fire that the Italians could then bring to bear on subsequent attacks. By 6:30AM, the Matildas of 7th RTR and the 2nd and 3rd Australian Battalions were moving through the breach and rolling up the perimeter flanks.
SIDI SALEH, NEAR BEDA FOMM, 2:30 PM, FEBRUARY 5, 1941: After a grueling 150 mile drive across unreconnoitered desert with worn out vehicles, the British were about to face a greatly superior enemy. This had to be done now. The Italians were retreating quickly and had no idea that the British had succeeded in beating them to the doorway to freedom. The British had 3 days supply of rations, ammo, water and fuel. There could be no more; not in the near future. The armored cars of Combeforce deployed along the coastal dunes and the beach to keep the Italians from slipping past the main delaying force. A rifle company dug in around the road and two other rifle companies with anti-tank support set up to their right in the rising ground to the east. A fourth company supported by 25 pounder field guns to their right and slightly behind them. The infantry barely had enough time to lay some mines and dig in before the unsuspecting enemy came down the road. With landmine explosions signaling their approach, the armored cars and 25 pounders opened up on the disorganized Italian troops - many still sitting in their trucks. The Italians had concentrated much of their strength to the rear of the retreat. Among this force was the Babini Armored Brigade. The Brigade took up the rear to handle the Australian 6th Cavalry Regiment (with some captured Italian medium tanks, armored cars and Bren Carriers) pressing down on their rear along the coast road. The 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, escorting administrative troops, dismounted and attacked the British in several disconnected, uncoordinated, piecemeal thrusts. Lacking heavy artillery and concentrated armor, they were stopped each time. The Bofors 37mm en-portees and 40mm AA guns, used in an anti-tank role and firing from behind hillocks, quickly dealt with any Italian armored escorts. In fact, they even engaged an Italian 75mm field gun hastily deployed in the open by the roadside at a distance of 1000 meters. (Each gun happened to be deployed next to a Km road marker) The abandoned Italian gun was found to have two Bofors shells through the gunshield. Some Italians challenged the armored cars near the beach. Things were beginning to get hairy for the British as more and more Italian troops came down the road and joined the fight. However, the 7th Hussars of 4th Armoured Brigade appeared on the eastern flank around 5 PM and shored - up the position just before sunset, when the battle subsided for the night. Although successful, the British block was still absurdly-weak to contain 10th Army’s withdrawal, which yet had 4 divisions. Fortunately, for the British, the Italian forces were arriving sporadically.
SIDI SALEH, NEAR BEDA FOMM, 7:30 AM, FEBRUARY 6, 1941: When it became light enough to see one another, the battle reopened where it had left off. The Italians had plenty of tanks and some artillery but, the infantry was still very disorganized. As for the British, they finally received much needed ammo overnight but had suffered noticeable losses of cruiser tanks - some were knocked out and many others had broken down. The weather had also deteriorated shortly before the battle resumed, with heavy rain and heavy wind setting the stage. Although the Italian armor outnumbered the British armor almost 3:1, they displayed a lack of understanding of the methods of fire and maneuver. The Italians stoically attacked again and again for much of the morning and afternoon but were repulsed each time. While having the opportunity to overwhelm the defense with their 80 Medium tanks vs 29 British cruisers (19 tanks of 2nd RTR actually bore the brunt), they continued to send waves of 16-20 tanks to hull-down positions. While the British artillery, anti-tank guns, and armour picked each wave apart, 2nd RTR only lost 3 cruiser tanks to enemy armour. The British did suffer the loss of several 2 pounders and 25 pounders. The infantry had some frightful moments as some Italian vehicles managed to overrun them. Italian infantry were engaging in hand-to-hand combat on some positions. It was reported that 79 Italian Medium tanks were knocked out by 2nd RTR alone, although some of these were undoubtedly double counted as several weapons fired on the same targets. The Italians did manage to break out to freedom behind the beach dunes with 4 Medium tanks, a dozen armored cars and 30 trucks loaded with infantry, towing various guns. There were just too many targets to engage.
SIDI SALEH, NEAR BEDA FOMM, 7:30 AM, FEBRUARY
7, 1941: on a cold, clear morning,
with only 30 tanks left, General Bergonzoli once again decided
to use them frontally in an unavailing assault on the ring of
British anti-tank guns and hull-down armour. Ammunition had arrived
for the British, but the defense still looked and felt thin (as
if it could not hold, even though it had done so for two days).
Following a heavy artillery concentration, the Italian armor
tried to ignore the British armor and concentrate on guns and
infantry. The Italians unlimbered the big guns figuring they
would be of little value if captured anyway. Finally, the Italians
used all of their armor - twice as much as any previous attack
- in a massed attack. If they had done this with 60, 80 or 120
tanks the previous day, they likely would have smashed through
to freedom.