Siege of Tobruk

Siege of Tobruk
	Part of the North African Campaign of World War II
	; Australian troops occupy a front line position at Tobruk
Date	10 April – 27 November 1941
Location	Tobruk, Libya
Result	Allied victory
Belligerents
Australia; United Kingdom British India; Poland; Czechoslovakia	Germany; Italy
Commanders and leaders
Leslie Morshead (to Sept 1941); Ronald Scobie (from Sept 1941)	Erwin Rommel
Strength
27,000	35,000
Casualties and losses
At least 3,836 deaths	12,296; At least 74–150 aircraft destroyed

The Siege of Tobruk was a battle in Libya during the North African Campaign of World War II. It lasted for 241 days. The battle was between Axis and Allied Forces. The battle started on 11 April 1941, when Tobruk was besieged by an Italian and Nazi German force commanded by Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel. The siege continued for 240 days up to 27 November 1941. On that date, the Allied 8th Army took control of Tobruk.

The reason that both sides wanted to control Tobruk is that it had a deep protected harbour. This made it a good place for ships to seek shelter. As well, the Italians had built fortifications. There were also escarpments and cliffs near Tobruk, which helped to protect the town from attack.

The Allies wanted to control Tobruk so that they could defend Egypt and the Suez Canal. When the Axis armies could no longer use the port at Tobruk, they had to bring in supplies at the distant port of Tripoli. This required the Axis armies to bring the supplies by truck through 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) of desert. After the Allies won Tobruk, the Axis armies continuted fighting to take it back. The Axis armies fired many artillery shells at Tobruk and dropped many bombs on the town.

Siege Of Tobruk Media

One of many Italian convoys heading towards North Africa
Italian troops and arms on their way to Tobruk 1941
Italian gunners in position at Tobruk
Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion defending Tobruk
A ZG 26 Bf 110 crash-landed near Tobruk, 1941
Ju 87 Stuka burning near Tobruk—souvenir hunters have taken the Nazi Swastika from the Vertical stabiliser.
British officers plan tank operations
Group of Italian officers, including generals Gastone Gambara and Alessandro Piazzoni, near Tobruk in autumn 1941
Australian entrenchment on the Tobruk perimeter

References

↑ Jentz, Thomas L. (1998). Tank Combat In North Africa: The Opening Rounds, Operations Sonnenblume, Brevity, Skorpion and Battleaxe, February 1941 – June 1941. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 0-7643-0226-4.
↑ Fitzsimons, Peter (2006). Tobruk. Sydney: Harper Collins. p. 250. ISBN 0-7322-7645-4.

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[1] Jentz, Thomas L. (1998). Tank Combat In North Africa: The Opening Rounds, Operations Sonnenblume, Brevity, Skorpion and Battleaxe, February 1941 – June 1941. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 0-7643-0226-4.

[2] Fitzsimons, Peter (2006). Tobruk. Sydney: Harper Collins. p. 250. ISBN 0-7322-7645-4.

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