(April 23, 2021) This week, 80 years ago, the Siege of Tobruk was entering its third week. Before it was lifted, 241 days would pass.
The garrison consisted of soldiers of the 9th Australian Division, together with an Indian cavalry brigade, commanded by Maj. Gen. Leslie Morshead, nicknamed, by his troops, âMing the Merciless.â Soon, the defenders would earn the sobriquet âRats of Tobruk,â courtesy of the traitorous Nazi radio announcer William Joyce, a/k/a âLord Haw-Haw.â
Tobruk is in Libya, on the Mediterranean Sea, less than 80 miles from the Egyptian border. It is 288 miles east of Benghazi, 388 miles east of Agedabia and 630 miles east of Tripoli, by air. It probably has the best natural harbor in North Africa, which made it important for any Axis invasion of Egypt from Libya. The city currently has a population of 120,000.