The Siege of Tobruk

Podcast Transcript

In 1941, in the midst of the North Africa Campaign in the Second World War, the British found themselves on the ropes.

Under General Erwin Rommel’s leadership, the German advance across Libya threatened Cairo and the Suez Canal.

The one thing that was stopping the Germans was that the British still held the strategic port city of Tobruk in Libya.

For over half a year, the Germans laid siege to the city, and the British tried to relieve it.

Learn more about the Siege of Tobruk and its importance in the North African campaign on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

In a previous episode, I covered the North African campaign of WWII at a rather high level.

In this episode, I want to cover one particular and important part of the North African Campaign, the Siege of Tobruk.

Tobruk is located along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Libya. It is about 100 miles or 160 kilometers from the Egyptian border if you drive along the coast.

Historically, it was the location of a Greek colony and a Roman fortress because of its strategic location. It is the most important city in the region of Cyrenaica, which is the part of Libya east of the Gulf of Tripoli.

The reason why it was important 2000 years later during the Second World War is that Tobruk was the only deep-water port within hundreds of miles and the closest one to Cairo.

Controlling it was essential for supplying any military in the field. If you didn’t have it, you had extremely long supply lines.

Its capture by Axis forces would have provided them with a crucial logistics hub, enabling further advances into Egypt and toward the Suez Canal, a vital Allied lifeline.

Without Tobruk, the Germans and Italians would have to extend their supply lines across northern Libya.

As I mentioned in the previous episode, Libya was conquered by the Italians in 1911, who took it from the Ottomans.

On December 8, 1940, the British launched Operation Compass, which was a highly successful offensive against the Italian forces in North Africa.

Launched by General Sir Richard O’Connor, it aimed to push back the numerically superior Italian Tenth Army, which had invaded Egypt. Despite limited resources, the British and Commonwealth forces used superior tactics, including surprise attacks and encirclements, to rout the Italians, capturing over 130,000 troops, destroying large quantities of equipment, and seizing key locations such as Sidi Barrani, Bardia, and Tobruk.

The operation effectively neutralized the Italian threat and set the stage for Germany’s intervention in North Africa by deploying the Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel.

Rommel was arguably Germany’s greatest general, and his brilliance was on full display in North Africa.

In March 1941, Rommel swiftly launched an aggressive and unexpected counteroffensive, capitalizing on the underprepared and overextended British and Commonwealth forces. Using superior tactics, including flanking maneuvers and effective deployment of tanks, the Germans recaptured much of Libya, including Benghazi and strategic positions along the coast.

By April 10th, Rommel had encircled Tobruk by land.

The British had to hold Tobruk. If Rommel took Tobruk, the concern was that he would be able to supply his forces by sea on the doorstep of Egypt. From there, it would be a relatively straight shot to Cairo, and if Cairo fell, then the Suez Canal would fall in short order.

If the British lost the Suez Canal, they would be cut off from the rest of their empire, including Australia, India, Malaya, Burma, and New Zealand.

The relief of Tobruk and breaking the siege became the top priority for the British in North Africa in 1941.

The defenders of Tobruk were a mixed Allied force, primarily composed of the Australian 9th Division and British artillery units, and later supported by Polish, Czech, and Indian reinforcements.

These troops were nicknamed the “Rats of Tobruk” by Axis propaganda, turned the epithet into a badge of honor as they withstood relentless assaults.

The defenders employed a combination of tenacious resistance, clever tactics, and resourcefulness to hold their ground. They capitalized on Tobruk’s strong defensive fortifications, including trenches, minefields, and barbed wire, which had been hastily but effectively constructed, in addition to the fortification inherited from the Italians.

Artillery played a crucial role, with well-placed British gun emplacements inflicting significant damage on advancing German tanks and infantry. The defenders conducted frequent raids and counterattacks, disrupting Axis supply lines and forcing Rommel to allocate troops to defensive roles. Allied engineers repaired and reused captured German and Italian equipment, showing remarkable ingenuity.

Supply lines for Tobruk were maintained through the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, which braved Axis air and naval attacks to deliver essential provisions, ammunition, and reinforcements.

The garrison also benefited from air support from the Royal Air Force, which harassed Axis positions and limited Rommel’s freedom of movement. Despite being outnumbered and under constant pressure, the defenders’ managed to keep Tobruk out of the German hands, frustrating Rommel’s plans and serving as a powerful symbol of Allied resolve in North Africa.

As tenacious as the defenders of Tobruk were, they couldn’t hold out forever.

One of the top priorities of the British command was to lift the siege.

The first attempt was Operation Brevity, which took place on May 15 and 16, 1941.

Under the command of Major-General William “Strafer” Gott, the operation was designed as a swift, surprise attack to seize key positions along the Egyptian-Libyan border, particularly the strategic Halfaya Pass, Sollum, and Fort Capuzzo. The British forces, composed of a small number of tanks, infantry, and artillery, hoped to exploit their mobility and catch Axis forces off guard.

Initially, the British achieved some success, capturing Halfaya Pass and advancing towards Fort Capuzzo. However, the assault soon encountered stiff resistance from German and Italian troops, who quickly reinforced their positions.

The British tanks, particularly the Matilda IIs, performed well in the early stages but faced heavy losses against the formidable German 88 mm anti-tank guns, which proved devastating. The operation’s limited scope and lack of sustained reinforcements meant the British were unable to capitalize on their initial gains.

After two days of fighting, with mounting casualties and a robust Axis counterattack led by German armored forces, the British withdrew. While Operation Brevity temporarily disrupted Axis operations, it failed to relieve Tobruk or achieve a lasting impact on the strategic balance in North Africa.

Operation Battleaxe was the next attempt to lift the siege from June 15 to 17.

The British Eighth Army, commanded by General Sir Archibald Wavell, launched the operation with the goal of once again capturing key positions along the Egyptian-Libyan border and driving Rommel’s Afrika Korps into retreat. Believing their numerical superiority in tanks and artillery would secure a swift victory, the British initiated the attack with a combination of infantry and armored divisions, supported by the Royal Air Force.

The operation began with coordinated assaults on Axis defensive lines, but the British forces faced fierce resistance. German and Italian troops, well-entrenched and supported by the highly effective 88 mm anti-tank guns, inflicted heavy losses on British tank units.

Over the next two days, the situation deteriorated for the British, with significant losses in tanks and personnel. Rommel launched a counteroffensive, exploiting gaps in the British lines and forcing them into a retreat. By the end of the operation, the British had lost nearly half their tanks, while the Axis forces, though also sustaining casualties, retained their positions and the initiative in North Africa.

Operation Battleaxe ended in failure, leaving Tobruk still besieged. It highlighted the British Army’s problems in desert warfare, including poor coordination between infantry and armor, inadequate reconnaissance, and an underestimation of Axis defensive capabilities.

As a side note, in July, the siege of Tobruk was the impetus for the creation of the British Special Air Service, or SAS.

It was the brainchild of David Stirling, a Scottish officer in the British Army, who envisioned a highly mobile and specialized force capable of operating deep behind enemy lines. Stirling proposed the idea to military leaders, emphasizing the effectiveness of small, well-trained units conducting raids, sabotage, and reconnaissance.

The first SAS group operated in the Libyan desert behind German lines during the siege of Tobruk.

The SAS can be considered the first true modern special forces unit.

The history and founding of the SAS is a fascinating subject for another episode, but suffice it to say that it was the siege of Tobruk which was where it all began.

There is a really good TV series out now called Rogue Heroes that covers this period of history and I highly recommend it.

The British made one final attempt to lift the siege starting on November 18: Operation Crusader.

By this point, the British were getting desperate. The Rats of Tobruk were holding out, but it was unknown how long this could continue.

The two previous attempts, Operations Brevity and Battleaxe, had failed, and the Axis forces, led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, were consolidating their hold over Cyrenaica.

The British Eighth Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham, sought to use its numerical superiority in tanks and infantry to break the stalemate. The plan involved a two-pronged strategy: an armored advance through the open desert to draw out Rommel’s Panzer divisions and a simultaneous attack on the Axis siege lines surrounding Tobruk, with the garrison itself breaking out to link up with the relief forces.

The operation began with fierce tank battles between British and Axis forces where the British suffered heavy losses against Rommel’s well-coordinated defenses and, once again, the use of anti-tank weapons.

Despite these initial setbacks, the Allies continued pressing the attack. By late November, the Tobruk garrison, bolstered by Australian, British, and Polish troops, managed to break out and establish contact with advancing relief forces, effectively lifting the siege.

Rommel attempted a counteroffensive in early December, temporarily regaining ground and inflicting further losses on the British. However, stretched supply lines and mounting casualties forced the Afrika Korps to retreat westward.

The Allies secured control of eastern Libya, ending the operation in a strategic victory. Although costly, Operation Crusader marked a turning point in the North African Campaign.

However, despite the efforts to relieve Tobruk, which took the better part of the entire year of 1941, the lifting of the siege wasn’t to be the final story of Tobruk in the war.

On May 26, 1942, Rommel initiated yet another counteroffensive.

Known as the Battle of Gazala it unfolded west of Tobruk, near the fortified Gazala Line, where British and Commonwealth forces had established strong defensive positions supported by minefields and “box” fortifications.

Rommel launched a bold flanking maneuver, known as the “Dash to the Wire,” with his Panzer divisions bypassing the Gazala Line through the open desert. After fierce fighting, the Axis forces encircled large portions of the Eighth Army, leading to the destruction of several British units in the so-called “Cauldron.”

The Eighth Army was forced to retreat, and Tobruk fell to Rommel on June 21 and 35,000 allies were taken captive. The thing that the British feared had now happened.

Rommel, as expected, used his base in Tobruk to drive towards Cairo. The only reason he didn’t take the city and the canal was due to a crushing loss at the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942. By that time however, the Americans had entered the war, and the realities on the ground in North Africa had changed dramatically.

The Siege of Tobruk was one of the most important events of the entire North Africa Campaign. Even though the capture of Tobruk in 1942 did not lead to a worst-case scenario, that very well might have happened had it had occurred in 1941.