Where is tobruk

The reconstructed tobruk in the rotunda of the museum is topped by the turret of a French Renault tank captured by the Germans during or after the French campaign of May-June This section of a tobruk was found in the Cherbourg area. The above hole is in fact an entrance to a network of caves, which were used a shelter. The name comes from the actual fig tree which still stands witness to this day, as shown in this photo. According to some reports, a cutting from the tree was taken to Australia, where it was planted at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.

In relation to these caves and holes, the story behind the Australians adopting the phrase: " the rats of Tobruk " as a badge of honour originally came from a German propaganda that was designed to destroy Australian morale, in which Radio Berlin dismissed the Australians as the Rats of Tobruk, just as rodents burrow underground.

A view of the barbed wire wall built during the wars. This vintage barbed wire structure is located about three miles away from Tobruk. The road leading to the structure is a bit rocky and requires a tough car or a desert vehicle. Barbed wires extend from Almajouri Castle south of Jaghboub oasis all the way to the Mediterranean coast, spanning nearly kilometres. The structure was originally used by Graziani to stop supplies from reaching the Libyan Freedom Fighters from neighbouring countries.

The barbed wires were patrolled by both soldiers and vehicles, as well as electric current. During the siege, some 3, Australian troops were killed or injured. On 11 April, Rommel attacked Tobruk with tanks and foot soldiers, but the defenders were able to turn him back. This was the first time anyone had been able to stop the German forces in the north African campaign.

In defiance, the soldiers proudly adopted this nickname and have been known by it ever since. During the siege, they designed their own medals, in the shape of a rat, made from the scrap metal of a downed German aeroplane.

Rommel kept up the bombardment until November , when a counter-attack by the British re-took the territory, and the siege was ended.

Tobruk was a great boost to the morale of the Allied forces: the seemingly invincible Germans had finally been turned back. Home Explore history Learn skills For teachers Search. Additional resources. The last remaining pockets of enemy resistance collapsed during the afternoon of 22 January.

This was a shock to both the German and Italian high commands, who had assumed that the fortress would hold out for a considerable period. Instead, Tobruk had fallen in just 29 hours. Ironically, the assault was, in many respects, a forerunner to the one General Erwin Rommel planned for November , and ultimately launched in Sensing victory, Rommel rushed his troops forward against the bastion in a series of abortive attacks in mid April and another in early May.

While censuring those around him, he failed to ensure proper reconnaissance, with disastrous results. His troops had marched into an unanticipated hail of fire from an unknown enemy ensconced in unknown positions. Yet, in the aftermath of defeat, Rommel cast aside personal responsibility for the reverses and heavy casualty rate.

Having failed to storm Tobruk, Rommel laid siege to the isolated Libyan fortress while German propaganda sought to undermine the morale of the entrapped garrison. It was a taunt, however, that immediately backfired. He never failed to cheer us. Though we were often interrupted by air raids, any wireless receiver tuned in to him was sure of a big audience.