You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast. The French Revolution set Europe ablaze. It was an

age of enlightenment and progress, but also of tyranny and depression. It was an age of glory and

an age of tragedy. One man stood above it all. This was the Age of Napoleon. I'm Everett Rummage, host of The Age of Napoleon podcast.

Join me as I examine the life and times of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters

in modern history. Look for the Age of Napoleon wherever you find your podcasts. Hello everyone and welcome to history of the Second World War, episode 242, North Africa, 1940, Part 6, Bardia.

This week, a big thank you goes out to Edward and Keith for the donations on Kofi

and to Pilgrim for supporting the podcast by becoming a member. Members can access to ad-free

versions of all of the podcast episodes, plus special member-only episodes released roughly once a

month. Head on over to History of the Second World War.com slash members to find out about becoming a member

or to find out about one-time donation options. Thank you as always to everyone who has chosen to

support the podcast in whatever way they wish to. Operation Compass, Britain's first major

offensive effort in North Africa in late 1940, had gone extremely well. What had originally been pitched as a raid

with a relatively focused set of objectives had been expanded in scope due to the relatively

quick and easy capture of the Italian fortified camps near Cedi Barani, and then Cidi Barani itself.

The Italians, after the collapse of their prepared defensive positions, would be forced

to retreat all along the front, as their units tried to make their way westward towards

the border before being cut off by British forces that were, well, trying to cut them off.

The next two episodes of the podcast will cover these efforts, the Italians to retreat, and the British to prevent that from happening.

This episode will discuss the advance up to and into the attack on Bardia, an important town along the coast where the Italians had set up some serious defenses that the British forces would have to work through.

The next episode will discuss

the continuation of the British advance further to the west, past Tobruk and Benghazi,

then all the way to Betafam. But first, we have to start with why an attack that started with

...