The Rats of Tobruk

When did the battle take place? 10th of April 1941 until 27th of November 1941. Why was this an important destination? Tobruk had a sheltered harbour for transporting troops, weapons and supplies, which was a serious advantage, it was also the only destination in the Egypt area not secured by the Germans. Tobruk was the first loss of the German and Italian forces. Which countries were involved? The troops involved were Germans, Italians, Australians, British, New Zealanders, South African, Polish, Czechoslovak and Indian. What weapons were involved? The Australians were supported by the use of British tanks, guns, anti-tank guns and an anti-aircraft brigade. What were the conditions/environment like? The conditions were very rough. The troops were situated in the hot desert in blazing heat and lived underground in trenches in the ground which they had to dig, which offered them protection from bombing raids. Dust was everywhere, as well as desert fleas and flies, making life extremely awful. What was the food like? The food was generally terrible and mostly consisted of stew and bully bean, and mainly only canned food, but fresh bread helped to improve the rough diet. The Indian troops sometimes made a traditional food from their country. Water was very limited and only small rations were allowed, and Vitamin C tablets had to be taken daily to help maintain the health of the soldiers.

Why were they called the 'Rats of Tobruk'? They were known as the Rats of Tobruk at first because according to Radio Berlin, they were caught like rats in a trap. But, the Australians ended up turning the insult around and making it a compliment, because against all odds, they were resilient, cunning, feared and came out on top. The rat became their emblem, No Surrender their motto and it has never been forgotten.

Write a brief summary of what happened. Beginning on the 10th of April 1941, Australian, Indian and British forces became part of the longest military siege in British Military history. Holding Tobruk was especially important as it had a safe port which allowed easy access for transporting supplies, troops and weapons. The Australian 9th Division and the 18th Brigade of the Australian 7th Division made up more than half of the troops and the remaining were 12,000 British (the 3rd Armoured Brigade, 4 artillery regiments) and Indian (the 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry) troops. They held their ground for three months, and were strong defenders. A series of battles took place, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. The Germans had originally thought defeating the Rats of Tobruk would be easy, as they were caught like rats in a trap but suffered many losses and had to use a different form of strategy. Later on, Australian forces were gradually safely evacuated from Tobruk and replaced by Polish and Czechoslovak forces, and only one Australian unit remaining. By the 27th of November 1941, the siege was over and the Rats of Tobruk successfully maintained Tobruk, the first loss of the German Forces of World War 2.e Australian 7th Division