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Siege of Tobruk
Between April and August 1941 up to 14,000 Australians, under the command of Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, were besieged in Tobruk by a German–Italian army commanded by General Erwin Rommel. The Allied garrison, largely Australian, consisted of the 9th Division (20th, 24th, and 26th Brigades), the 18th Brigade of the 7th Division, and four regiments of British artillery.
The Royal Navy and the RAN service kept the garrison supplied by means of the so-called Tobruk ferry, which included the Australian destroyers Napier, Nizam, Nestor, and Vendetta. Lost on the supply run were two destroyers including HMAS Waterhen, three sloops including HMAS Parramatta, and 21 smaller vessels.
The 2/13th Battalion was the only Australian unit left in Tobruk when the siege ended on 10 December. The Australian casualties were 3,009 killed or wounded, and 941 taken prisoner.
The German propagandist Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) derided the troops as the Rats of Tobruk, a term proudly embraced as an ironic compliment.
During the siege of Tobruk, Australian ships such as HMAS Parramatta (pictured) shared the task of keeping the vital supply line open and
evacuating the wounded.
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More about
- Brief history of siege of Tobruk: this document from the AWM Files of Research No. 581 contains a brief history of the siege based on Chester Wilmot's Tobruk, 1941
- Units which took part in Tobruk: this document from the AWM Files of Research No. 577 contains details of the Order of Battle strength for Tobruk
- War
memorials in Australia: Rats of Tobruk Memorial (web site)
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