Bardia Captured

5th January 1941: Australians triumph as they overwhelm and demoralise the Italian defenders

There were pockets of Italian resistance that were only taken in hand-to-hand combat. Ivor Hele visited the battleground in 1941 but completed this oil painting for the 25th Anniversary based on conversations with veterans. ‘Bardia (Action leading to the fall of Post 11)’ AWM ART 27576.

The first significant engagement of Australian forces in the war had…