Siege of Tobruk - By Betsy Dang

Siege of Tobruk-

• Location: Cyrenaica (province of Libya), North Africa.


• Dates: 31st March – 27th November 1941


• Players: Allies – 9th Australian Division under Major General Leslie Morshead, partially replaced by British and Polish troops between August and October.

Axis:  General Erwin Rommel’s Deutsches Afrika Korps including 5th Light Division and three Italian Divisions (Ariete, Brescia, Trento); under the nominal command of the Italian General Italo Gariboldi.

• Outcome: The Australian, British and Polish divisions under siege in Tobruk were twice attacked by Rommel’s forces, and both times retained control of the Lobyan port.  The siege was lifted after nearly eight months.


• January 1941: Allied forces in North Africa swept Italians from Western Desert to Cyrenaica during Operation Compass


• Cyrenaica garrisoned by small force under Lieutenant Phillip Neame.


• Neame had orders to fight a delaying action back 110km (Benghazi) inside Cyrenaica.


• Rommel arrived in Tripoli on 12th February.


• Planned British withdrawal degenerated into a rout (disorderly withdrawal following defeat).


• Rommel initiated an ambitious encirclement tactic.


• 4th April: Germans took Benghazi.


• 7th April: German column reached sea at Derna (95km).


• Captured Neame and O’Connor (advisor of Neame).


• British retreat inevitable


• General Archibald Wavell (Commander in Chief Middle East) decided Tobruk (port) had to be held.


• Strong fortress, almost completely surrounded by flat plateau and sea on one side.


• Tobruk garrisoned by 9th Division/


• 13th & 15th April: Germans and Italians attacked.


• Rommel sent tanks in first to create gap which infantry would follow.


• Allies made strategic decision to let tanks through easily and launch heavy attack only once the tanks were trapped inside the city, cut off from the rest of the Axis


• Success.


• Rommel laid siege to the port.


• Two British offensives (Brevity/ Battleaxe) failed to break siege.


• August:  Aus govt. was insisting men should be withdrawn


• 18th November:  General Claude Auchinleck launched operation Crusader, which succeeded in lifting the siege by the end of the month.


• Rommel attacked again the following year.


• Torbuk was captured by the Germans and the 35,000 strong garrison taken prisoner of war.