Tobruk S Easter Battle 1941

The initial Australian and British victory over Rommels Afrika Korps on Easter Monday 1941 at Tobruk was Germanys first defeat in World War II. Incongruously the vital actions of Queenslands 2-15 Battalion on that day have been generally ignored. For the first time, this investigation places that lost body of infantrymen nearly four miles from the outer perimeter near El Adem crossroads. There they were dug in around two gallant Royal Horse Artillery batteries, which incurred heavy losses in turning around a concerted Panzer attack. In that battle the 2-15 A Company delivered the final blow to the accompanying German infantry, led by the formerly invincible Lt Colonel Gustav Ponath who was killed in the field. This ably researched and intriguing episode redresses the brave 2-15s subsequent sense of injustice.

This book, first published in 1984, examines the 1941 siege of Tobruk and the experiences of the inexperienced Australian troops facing Rommel’s successful armies. It looks at the follies as well as the bravery; humane acts from both sides, locked as they were in a brutal battle; the tactics of desert warfare and siege warfare; and the challenges both sides faced from fighting in desert conditions.

Like Gallipoli, the coastal fortress of Tobruk in northern Africa has a special place in Australian’s war annals. For eight month in 1941 the Australian Imperial Force helped hold the besieged town against German forces that had hitherto suffered no check. With the distinctive mix of vigour and intelligence that made him a celebrated correspondent during and after the Second World War, Chester Wilmot here tells the story of the fighting in and around Tobruk from January to December 1941. His compelling book, based on personal observation, official documents and eyewitness accounts, is given even greater impact by the use of enemy sources including extracts from the diaries of German officers. As well as commemorating the achievement of the besieged Allied troops against the superior strength of the Germans, Tobruk gives an exceptionally readable insight into the critical North African campaign. “Tobruk set an example of courage in the face of superior strength, of firm spirit in spite of hardship, of cheerful defiance and offensive defence.”—CHESTER WILMOT

In one of his most famous battles, Rommel's Afrikakorps swept across the desert capturing much of the British force and the first siege of Tobruk began. The scene was set for one of the epic struggles of the desert war.

First English translation of a Geman account of Operation Crusader.

The siege of Tobruk was a pivotal battle which influenced the outcome of the Second World War. In this book Robert Lyman describes the 'David versus Goliath' confrontation that ensued when Allied forces took on Rommel's Panzer divisions in the Libyan port.