On 18 December, 234 Bty was unexpectedly detached and sent with its 4.5-inch guns (at that stage the only ones in the Middle East) to the Western Desert, its vehicles still painted in Sudan camouflage. It was attached to the 60-pdrs of 7th Med Rgt for the Battle of Bardia, which opened with a surprise barrage on 3 January 1941. The long-range 4.5-inch guns were designed for CB fire and an Australian gunnery officer described the barrage: 'Then well to the rear came the frightening sound of the British 4.5-inch Long Toms and the 6-inch howitzers ... on counter-battery tasks'. 7th Medium Rgt and 234 Bty suffered a number of casualties from Italian return fire, but 6th Australian Division launched its attack and secured all its objectives and thousands of prisoners by 08.30. Phase 2 began the next day, and after three days' fighting the force had captured Bardia and 40,000 Italian prisoners.