The Battle of Bardia was fought for three days in the beginning of January of the year 1941 and ended in an Allied victory over Italian forces. The whole of the battle lasted a total of two days. It was the first battle in which the Australian Army took part. The battle was part of Operation Compass and was important because it if the Allies were to win against the large odds against them, it would mean capturing the stretegically important practical fortress that was made out of the town of Bardia. After the battle, large numbers of Italian prisoners were taken, Approximately 40,000, to be exact, which took a toll on Italian forces all over North Africa, for this battle would be one of the ones that crippled them.