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Siege of TobrukPrint Page Print this page

02-August-2013
02-August-2013
Photographs supplied by Bryan Cole

The cross commemorates those who served in the Siege of Tobruk in North Africa during World War Two.

The Siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 242 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of World War Two. The siege started on 10 April 1941, when Tobruk was attacked by an Italo–German force under Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel.   

Australians provided the mainstay of the Tobruk defence force until August, when they were withdrawn and replaced by the British 70th Division, with the attached Polish Carpathian Brigade.  British forces lifted the siege on 10 December 1941 during Operation 'Crusader', when 1st Army Tank Brigade linked up with a 'break out' force from Tobruk - the 32nd Army Tank Brigade - at Ed Duda, to the south-east of the town.

The “Rats of Tobruk” was the name given to the soldiers of the garrison who held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps during the Siege. 

The garrison, commanded by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, consisted of the 9th Australian Division (20th, 24th, and 26th Brigades), the 18th Brigade of the 7th Australian Division, four regiments of British artillery and some Indian troops

Location

Address:216 Daws Road, Repat Health Precinct, Repatriation General Hospital Chapel, Daw Park, 5041
State:SA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -34.990103
Long: 138.589264
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Cross
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW2
Actual Event Start Date:10-April-1941
Actual Event End Date:10-December-1941

Dedication

Front Inscription

This cross is erected in memory of the men who served in the Siege of Tobruk 

9 April 1941 to 7 December 1941

And who have since passed on

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au