1942 — South Africans Retake Bardia

On January 2, 1942, South Africa's 2nd Infantry Division retook the Libyan desert fortress of Bardia after a two-day assault. German Major General Artur Schmitt surrendered to the South Africans, and some eight thousand Allied prisoners walked free while thousands of Axis troops were taken prisoner in turn.

Schmitt's surrender carried a distinction that echoed far beyond the desert: he was the first German general to surrender in the Second World War. For South Africa, Bardia was its first major battle of the war, a hard test passed on foreign sand. The victory showed a young dominion's soldiers standing, and prevailing, on the world stage.