Well in short, it was a perfect example of how the core Australian Army values of mateship and loyalty contributed to an overwhelming victory (in that while while heavily outnumbered they held out for 9 months until withdrawn against vastly experienced and well equipped Axis forces). Also, the Australian-led victory at Tobruk was the first time in WW2 that the Germans had been defeated in a major battle.
The Australians lost many of their men in the seige of Tobruk. The story is complicated. See the link below to read the entire story.
The Australians were certanily involved in the North Africa campaign. Notably at Tobruk: By the time the Allies arrive in Italy Japan had joined the war and most Australians were involved in the far east, in New Guinea for example. Certainly the New Zealanders were in Crete, Australians I cannot say. Answer Large numbers of Australians fought in the Greek campaign, and later on Crete (where Allied forces initially evacuated to).
German and Italian forces led by General Rommel besieged Tobruk for 242 days without taking the city until they were finally driven off in 1941. Rommel came back unexpectedly in 1942 and captured Tobruk in a single day. The anti-tank ditch had been allowed to fill in, and the Australians who had earlier defended Tobruk had been sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese; leaving Tobruk defended by inexperienced Indian and South African troops. It was a limited victory for the Axis as most of their supply convoys in the Med preferred the safer route to Triboli or Benghazi. Nevertheless, Tobruk remained in Axis hands until the British victory at Second El Alamein forced them to abandon the city.
you don't... you have to have been at tobruk during the siege!
They were dubbed the Rats of Tobruk, encouraged by the enemy to come out of their holes waving white flags of surrender. But for 242 days, between April and December 1941, thousands of Australian soldiers refused to concede the Libyan Port of Tobruk. (From the ABC website)Answer">AnswerThe Rats of Tobruk was the name given to the Australian soldiers of the garrison who held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Africa Corps, during the Siege of Tobruk in World War II. The siege starts on 10 April 1941 and was finally relieved at the end of November.The origins of the name likely came from The Nazi German radio, German Calling when they referred to the soldiers as "poor desert rats of Tobruk." This was mostly due to two factors:1. The Australian tendered to counterattack to gather equipment as soon as the enemy was routed;2. The defenders dug extensive tunnel networks and shelters to supplement their trenches - and weren't afraid to use them when bombarded.The Australians gave themselves the nickname 'the Rats of Tobruk' after Radio Berlin described the Australians as 'caught like rats in a trap'.The old warships that helped the Rats of Tobruk with supplies and evacuation of the wounded were insulted by Radio Berlin, being called a 'pile of scrap iron'. The Australians therefore called them 'The Scrap Iron Flotilla'.In typically Australian dry wit, Australians reclaimed the name as a badge of pride, even going so far as to strike their own unofficial medal bearing the likeness of a rat. The metal used to make the medals came from a German bomber the Rats had shot down with captured German guns.The conviction of the 'Diggers' even won them the respect of the Nazis. Major Ballerstedt, C.O. 2nd Battalion, 115th Motorized Infantry Regiment, wrote to his superiors:"The Australian, who are the men our troops have had opposite them so far, are extraordinarily tough fighters. The German is more active in the attack, but the enemy stakes his life in the defence and fights to the last with extreme cunning."The thoughts were echoed by a captured German officer struggling to explain how he found himself a prisoner of war:"I cannot understand you Australians. In Poland, France and Belgium once the tanks got through the soldiers took it for granted they were beaten. But you are like demons. The tanks break through and your infantry keeps fighting."The fighting style of the Australians made it very difficult for co-ordinated attacks by the Germans to integrate effectively. The Australians just weren't behaving as expected, and they took little time in noticing how this was confusing their enemy. (From convictcreations and wikipedia)
800 Australians died out of 14,000 and many more were injured in the Siege of Tobruk.
Helped defend it.
The Australians were victorious.
The Australians lost many of their men in the seige of Tobruk. The story is complicated. See the link below to read the entire story.
The Australians managed to hold out long enough to eventually join up with the advancing 8th army. In the second siege the Germans defeated the Australians within a few months
The population of Tobruk is 120,000.
The Australians were certanily involved in the North Africa campaign. Notably at Tobruk: By the time the Allies arrive in Italy Japan had joined the war and most Australians were involved in the far east, in New Guinea for example. Certainly the New Zealanders were in Crete, Australians I cannot say. Answer Large numbers of Australians fought in the Greek campaign, and later on Crete (where Allied forces initially evacuated to).
Tobruk is in Libya.
German and Italian forces led by General Rommel besieged Tobruk for 242 days without taking the city until they were finally driven off in 1941. Rommel came back unexpectedly in 1942 and captured Tobruk in a single day. The anti-tank ditch had been allowed to fill in, and the Australians who had earlier defended Tobruk had been sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese; leaving Tobruk defended by inexperienced Indian and South African troops. It was a limited victory for the Axis as most of their supply convoys in the Med preferred the safer route to Triboli or Benghazi. Nevertheless, Tobruk remained in Axis hands until the British victory at Second El Alamein forced them to abandon the city.
Hotel Tobruk was created in 1937.
Heroes of Tobruk was created in 2008.
The ISBN of Heroes of Tobruk is 9781741690774.