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Siege of Tobruk Plaque
Siege of Tobruk Plaque
Photographs supplied by Diane Watson

The plaque commemorates those who served in the Siege of Tobruk 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Australians provided the mainstay of the Tobruk defence force until August, when they were withdrawn and replaced by the British 70th Division, with the attached Polish Carpathian Brigade.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:Passage & North Streets, ANZAC Park, Cleveland, 4163
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -27.525349
Long: 153.279673
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

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

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:2004
Front Inscription

Dedicated to the memory of all members of the AIF who served in the Siege of Tobruk

April to December 1941

Lest We Forget

Dedicated by Redlands Rats of Tobruk Association
2004

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