RATS OF TOBRUK

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In 1941 Great Britain had to withdraw most of its forces from Africa to defend Greece, leaving the Australians of the Australian 9th Division and the 18th Brigade of the Australian 7th Division under Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead with the task of defending the city of Tobruk. The Australian troops made up more than half of the Allied presence in Tobruk with a total strength of over 14,000 men.

The siege started on 10 April 1941 and was finally relieved at the end of November.

The rest of the garrison was made up of 12,000 British (the 3rd Armoured Brigade, 4 artillery regiments) and Indian (the 18th Indian Cavalry Regiment) troops. In three stages on moonless nights between August and October, the Australian troops and Indian cavalry were withdrawn by sea. Their replacements were the British 70th Infantry Division and the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade with the Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion under command.

The city of Tobruk had to be held as a strong point where future attacks could be launched upon German forces.

The Australian troops were up against the odds.

The German forces were twice the size of the Allies. The Germans were led by a millitary genius, Erwin  Rommel, who to that time had never been defeated in battle.

The Australians did not give up, they didnt even think about escape or surrender. They managed to hold off Rommel’s forces for 250 days.

The Australians knew they would not win on just courage alone, instead they fought the battle with their strengths rather than their weaknesses.

When Rommel charged into Tobruk with tanks the Australians attacked the infintry leaving the tanks with no ground support and giving the Australians an advantage.

When the Luftwaffe dropped waves of bombs onTobruk, the Australians didn’t fight back but instead they hid safely in Tobruk’s network of tunnels. This ensured they remained focused on the task of defending the city against the German infantry.

When the Germans retreated to regroup, the Australians didn’t wait. Instead they went on the offensive attacking German positions, stealing German artillery and then retreating back into the city without trace. The stolen artillery (known as ‘bush artillery’) was used against its creators.

The Australians who fought were outnumbered but still had courage and defended Tobruk from the attacking Germans even though Tobruk was bombed to almost nothing.