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In almost a repeat performance of the attack on Bardia the Australian 6th Division made a dawn assault on the Italian garrison at Tobruk on 21st January.
The Italians appeared to believe their own propaganda, which was telling the Italian home audience that their soldiers were being overwhelmed by massively superior forces. In fact the reverse was true, if the Italians had moved out from their static defensive positions the British might well have had difficulty containing them. As it was they remained in their bunkers under constant harassing artillery fire whilst the British built up their attacking forces.
The final assault was preceded by bombing. Then the attacking infantry went forward behind a creeping barrage supported by naval gunfire. Many of the defenders were surprised in their bunkers, having become so accustomed to shellfire that they did not realise that an attack was accompanying it. The garrison crumbled even more quickly that at Bardia.
The Italians appeared to believe their own propaganda, which was telling the Italian home audience that their soldiers were being overwhelmed by massively superior forces. In fact the reverse was true, if the Italians had moved out from their static defensive positions the British might well have had difficulty containing them. As it was they remained in their bunkers under constant harassing artillery fire whilst the British built up their attacking forces.
The final assault was preceded by bombing. Then the attacking infantry went forward behind a creeping barrage supported by naval gunfire. Many of the defenders were surprised in their bunkers, having become so accustomed to shellfire that they did not realise that an attack was accompanying it. The garrison crumbled even more quickly that at Bardia.