Tobruk Part two: The Australian's defeat the Italians and take the town

"These men from the Dockside of Sydney and the sheep stations of the Riverina presented such a picture of downright toughness with their gaunt dirty faces, huge boots, revolvers stuffed in their pockets, gripping their rifles with huge shapeless hands, shouting and grinning - always grinning; that the mere sight of them must have disheartened the enemy troops". - Australian journalist Alan Moorhead observing the first Australian troops landing in the Middle East, 1940.

And so it was that Australia entered the Desert War, her men, tough, weathered men, eager to have their go at the Germans and Italians; Eager to prove their worth on the field and carry on the ANZAC legend founded in the Great War not so long before. The Diggers cursed and complained from the start; They wanted action, not drills and route marches in the sand! The men of the 6th Division were ready for action after their long journey across the Indian Ocean from Australia. They would soon find it.

The Aussies had been sent to that particular part of the world for one reason; Suez Canal. Churchill's War Cabinet was concerned about the Axis Powers, (Germany, Italy and Japan), gaining control of the Canal which would provide them control of the world's crossroads and a decent chunk of the oil the Allies were drawing on for their own war machine. The loss of Suez would add some 6,000 miles to a ships' journey to their supply line as they would need to sail around the Horn of Good Hope instead, risking the U-Boat Wolf Packs all the way. No, holding the Suez Canal was critical to the war-effort.

The Aussies entrained and made their way to Palestine as did their fellows in the First World War. They received a sobering reminder of their mates from twenty five years earlier when they passed by the Australian War Cemetery outside of Gaza where many of them still lay. Once young and boisterous as the men of the 6th Division. Now dead. Now these new blokes passed by on their own adventure and where it would lead they did not know. They silently tipped their hats to their long-dead brethren, muttered a, rest in peace dig and stared into the desert trying not to think about death.

Back in England Churchill had come to the decision that the port town of Tobruk 50 miles west of Bardia and currently held by the Italian's was a vital town to control considering it was the only major harbour along some 800 miles of North African coastline. The task of taking the town rested with the Australian 6th Division after most recently successfully laying siege to the town of Bardia. It went something like this...

On the 21st of January 1941, 0130 hours thirty or so men of the 2/1st Field Company crawled their way across no-mans-land holding thin sticks probing ahead of themselves looking for mines. Their job was to locate and disable the mines along the 2000 yard stretch designated as the assault point for the main body of troops and vehicles that would soon follow. A wrong move meant death and worse, it would alert the Italian defenders that an assault was imminent. The RAF bombers soon disgorged their [hopefully] lethal loads of bombs on the town to soften up the Italians and the British Royal Navy poured salvo after salvo on the town and its perimeter defences from 20 warships. At 0540 the artillery began their symphony of percussion focusing on a section only 2500 yards by 800 yards deep on the southern perimeter with the plan being the defenders would be either blown to bits or would at least keep their heads down while the Australian's advanced just behind their artillery barrage. It was called a creeping barrage and was risky. The Aussie sappers and engineers crept forward closer and closer to the anti-tank ditch and rows of wire and mines awaiting their moment once the barrage ceased.

At 0605 hours the artillery fell silent and immediately the sappers and engineers swung into action pushing up their bangalore-torpedo's under the rows of defensive wire. These 12-foot lengths of 3 inch pipe were packed with explosives and when detonated would obliterate the wire and mines creating a path through for the troops. Sure enough, boom! Huge gaping holes appeared in the rows and rows of concertinaed wire and for a moment all were stunned to inaction until an officer yelled, go on your bastards! and they did. Australian soldiers swarmed the breach into withering fire from the Italian's who had recovered quickly. The Aussies were quick though and decisive on the field of battle and within a short space of time had taken one of the Italian posts and were quickly followed up by 6 Matilda's (tanks) which began to systematically knock out post after post aided by the troops.

The rampaging Australian's, big hulking brutes with grim faces and sharp bayonet's took some posts with ease and yet other's put on a good show however it was only a matter of time before these southern sons cleared out the Italian's with grenade, bayonet and rifle and before too long the Italian's were surrendering in droves clogging up the perimeter breach in a bid to be away from the insane Australians and their guns. At times groups of over 500 Italian's would present themselves at the Australian stockade, white flags waving, hands up calling, "Ci rendiamo, Ci rendiamo,"; We surrender.

The fighting continued into the afternoon with pockets of resistance from the more stalwart of the Italian defenders giving the Australians some trouble. Eventually though Generale Petassi Manella surrendered to Major John Copeland. Whilst some sporadic resistance continued the town was essentially taken; The Aussies were in residence.

The taking of Tobruk was a great success for the 6th Division however came at some cost. The Australians lost 49 men killed and 306 wounded. In comparison they had taken 27,000 Italian prisoners, 208 artillery pieces and 23 tanks.

Having said that, most of the blokes couldn't give two shits about the guns and tanks...After a little exploration of the town they found warehouses full of tinned food, lots of it, enough for 25,000 men for a couple of months and, probably equally important for the Diggers, booze! Wine! It wasn't beer, but it'll do they reckoned. The Italian's sure knew how to do war the Aussies thought. They found fancy cheese, olives, cured meats, breads and other delicacies they couldn't name...But tasted good! By the end of the day just about every Australian soldier had his own coffee percolator, silk shirt and other various finery left by the seemingly fashion-conscious Italian's. (Image - Aussie's in a captured Italian tanks - Note 6th Division kangaroos painted on the side)

The Australian's had performed well, brutally efficient, aggressive and decisive and their commander was pleased with the result; Tobruk. He knew the Axis forces would want it back and whilst not too concerned with the Italian's knew Germany would want it back. Brigadier Leslie Morshead (Later Lieutenant General) walked every part of the small town taking notes and studying defences built up over the twenty five year Italian occupation. They hadn't held the Australian's up for a day and when the Germans came he would need to hold out against overwhelming numbers for an indeterminate period. Taking the town had been a relatively easy task; Holding it may not be so easy.

And so, the stage is almost set for the great Siege of Tobruk.

However there was one player missing; The German's. They would come though and with them an adversary the likes of which Morshead had never faced before. The Germans would come in force, in great numbers and with tanks, hulking Panzer's; With bombers and the dreaded Stuka dive bombers. The Germans would come and would be lead by a man with singular focus, an expert tactician and the ability to wring the best from his troops and equipment. At the head of the German army would come their General, Erwin Rommel, The Desert Fox...

[- Design and create your ideal life, don’t live it by default - @galenkp -]

You can See part one here if you're interested.

Rommel image source
Captured Italian tanks source
Aussie with Bren machine gun image source