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.

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.

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.

The siege of Tobruk was the longest in British military history. The coastal fortress and deep-water port was of crucial importance to the battle for North Africa, and the key that would unlock the way to Egypt and the Suez Canal. For almost a year the isolated garrison held out against all attempts to take it, and in the process Tobruk assumed a propaganda role that outweighed its great strategic value, becoming a potent symbol of resistance when the war was going badly for the British. Goebbels referred to the garrison as 'rats,' and they proudly adopted the insult as a title, and became the 'Rats of Tobruk.' When it finally fell to German tanks on 21 June 1942 with the loss of 25,000 men, Churchill said it was 'one of the heaviest blows I can recall during the war'. William F. Buckingham's startling account, drawing extensively on official records and first-hand accounts from both sides, is a comprehensive history of this epic struggle, and essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Western Desert Campaign.