Primarily a photographic history, this is a fascinating, intense and moving view of everyday survival and fortitude in near unendurable circumstances during the seige of Tobruk.
No surrender and no retreat ... When the 9th Division of the AIF withdrew into the Libyan fortress town of Tobruk early in April 1941, a seige began that was to make its mark on the course of WWII and the popular memory of a nation.
The siege was intended to last no more than two months, but ultimately extended to eight. Under the command of Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, the Allied troops employed an aggressive and daring defence that held Rommel at bay and put a sizeable dent in his aura of invincibility. The cheery and defiant Australian diggers distinguished themselves through their determination and unquenchable spirit. The success of the rats of Tobruk inspired hope for the possibility of effective resistance in the midst of the darkest days of the war.
'Tobruk 1941' reveals in startling and poignant detail the facts of day-to-day life during the seige. It shows the grim work of the soldiers and anti-aircraft gunners on the front line, the ceaseless battle for the harbour, and the bravery of the photographers and journalists who covered the seige. It illuminates in myriad ways the toughness and the resilience of the soldiers as they battled the heat, the flies, the rats, the boredom and the savagery while doing their bit to win the war.
Contents:
Introduction
Western Desert Offensive
The Red Line
The Gunners
The Battle for the Harbour
Bathing in a Shaving Mug
Routines
The 'Tobruk Ferry Service'
Shooting the War
Gunner Bryant: Photo Memories
Last Out: 2/13th Battalion
Portraits
Acknowledgments and Principal Sources
