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Siege of TobrukPrint Page 
Two plaques commemorate the "Rats of Tobruk" who gave their lives during the Siege of Tobruk which lasted 241 days.
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Australians provided the mainstay of the Tobruk defence force until August, when they were withdrawn and replaced by the British 70th Division, with the attached Polish Carpathian Brigade.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
It was during this siege that Corporal J. H. Edmondson of the 2nd /17th Battalion became the first Australian soldier during World War Two to win the Victoria Cross. When the siege was lifted on 10 December 1941, Australian casualties were 559 killed, 2450 wounded, and 941 taken prisoner.
Location
| Address: | Wharf Street, Memorial Walkway, Chris Cunningham Park, Tweed Heads , 2485 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -28.17 Long: 153.544172 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
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
“ Siege of Tobruk ”
In memory of the Rats of Tobruk – the 9th Australian Division who gave their lives during the Siege, which lasted 242 days.
It was here that Corporal J. H. Edmonson of the 2 / 17th Battalion became the first Australian soldier during World War Two to win the Victoria Cross.
The defence of Tobruk by the Australian Imperial Forces , the Royal Australian Navy and the armed forces from Britain and the Polish Brigade was the first successful resistance of German land forces in World War II.
North Africa - Middle East April 10th 1941 to Dec 7th 1941
242 Days
"No Surrender"
Tobruk, a port on the North African coast, was the scene of the longest siege iIn British military history.
Allied casualties were 776 killed 2057 wounded.
The overall Commander was Major General Moreshead and the British traitor and German propagandist Lord Haw Haw likened the garrison to "rats caught in a trap." The troops so ;iked the phrase that they now proudly bear the sobriquet "The Rats of Tobruk"
