On 10 April 1941, the long and famous Siege of Tobruk began. The six month siege, crucially involving many Australians, was a pivotal WWII battle between the Allied and Axis forces in Northern Africa.
Up to 14,000 Australian troops and 12,000 British and Indian troops resisted the siege until an Allied counter-attack eventually re-took the surrounding territory and the siege was lifted.
Early in the siege – after withstanding Axis assaults and digging in – Nazi propaganda radio described the Tobruk resistance as coming from ‘rats’ living in the ground. In great Aussie style, the key Australian 9th Division embraced this sledge as a nickname and defiantly wore it as a badge of honour – hence the now famous phrase, “The Rats of Tobruk”.
Australia suffered heavy casualties at Tobruk, with up to 750 killed, 2000 wounded and 500 missing – far exceeding the casualties from all the other Allied ground forces combined.
Tobruk was one of the first successful resistances against – and retreats imposed on – the Nazi forces by the Allies in WWII. Breaking the Siege of Tobruk boosted Allied morale that they could beat the seemingly invincible German machine. 1941 became a year in which the Axis’ ascendency began to crumble. Tobruk was an important contributor to that emerging trend.
Commemorate the 14,000 Australian soldiers that held out against repeated German attacks in the Libyan port of Tobruk in WWII from 10 April in 1941 – and in particular, the “Rats of Tobruk” – by:
- if you are in/near Canberra, visiting the Australian War Memorial and checking out the displays in relation to Tobruk and other pivotal WWII battles Australia was heavily involved in
- if you are in/near Bundaberg, visiting the Rats of Tobruk Memorial there
- watching these clips on the siege and our brave, defiant “rats“
- catching a movie online about the Tobruk siege – eg “The Fighting Rats of Tobruk” (1944), “The Desert Rats” (1953) or “Tobruk” (2008)
- reading more about the great siege and the “Tobruk Rats” that survived
- honouring our fallen defending our values and way of life
- having a meal and/or a drink down at your local Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) Club and paying respects to our men and women who have served our country and are doing so now
- following the Royal Australian Army, Air Force and/or Navy on Facebook to show your support for our own land, air and sea defences, and/or
- sharing this Action Plan post on social media with family, friends, veterans and other patriotic Aussies.
