Rats of Tobruk

The Rats of Tobruk was the name given to the soldiers who held Tobruk, Libya against the Afrika Corps, during a period known as the Siege of Tobruk in World War II. The conflict started on 10 April 1941. ANZAC soldiers, the Australian 9th Division and the 18th Brigade of the 7th Division under Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, consisted of 14,000 men -- more than half of the Allied presence in Tobruk. Though other forces present included (in alphabetic order) British, Indian, Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade, and others, Tobruk was an Australian garrison.

Related Topics:
Tobruk - Libya - Afrika Corps - Siege of Tobruk - World War II - 10 April - 1941 - ANZAC - Australian - Lieutenant General - Leslie Morshead - Allied - Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade

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In what was arguably the worst propaganda misstep of the war, Lord Haw-Haw derisively referred to the ANZACs as "poor desert rats of Tobruk" during radio broadcasts. This was probably due mostly to two factors:-

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: The ANZACs tended to counterattack to gather equipment as soon as the enemy was routed.

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: The defenders dug extensive tunnel networks and shelters to supplement their trenches -- and weren't afraid to use them when bombarded.

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Regardless of the logic, ANZACs took the name as a badge of pride, even going so far as to strike their own unofficial medal bearing the likeness of a rat. The metal needed to make the medals came from a German bomber the Rats shot down with captured German guns. Throughout the conflict the Axis attackers had at least twice the manpower, were a modern mechanized force with tanks, and most importantly, possessed the abilities of reinforcement and resupply.

Related Topics:
Medal - Rat - Bomber - Tank

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At this time, Rommel's Afrika Corps and their Blitzkrieg tactics had never been defeated. During the first phase of the offensive the Rats were mostly concerned with constructing and reinforcing their defenses and observing the enemy. After a few months, however, purely defensive operations gave way to patrols. These forays outside friendly lines were broken into two categories: reconnaissance and fighting.

Related Topics:
Rommel - Afrika Corps - Blitzkrieg - Reconnaissance

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The job of a reconnaissance patrol is largely obvious: to provide information on the enemy. Sometimes this entailed capture and/or field interrogation of an enemy. Later, almost exclusively at night, a fighting patrol would act on viable targets found, operating under the simplest of guidelines: do as much damage as you can, don't get caught.

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Commonly an attack would involve crawling several miles, surrounding the enemy position, followed by a concerted rush with bayonets. In most cases the action was over in a minute or two, more often than not without a shot fired. Probably the most well-known single offensive action by the Rats was a fighting patrol led by Lieutenant William Horace Noyes, which stalked and destroyed three German light tanks, and killed or wounded the crews of 7 machine-gun and 11 anti-tank gun positions and their protective infantry. In addition, they damaged a German heavy tank and killed or wounded 130 in the taking of a German garrison, most in the initial bayonet charge. No Rats were lost that night.

Related Topics:
Bayonet - Lieutenant William Horace Noyes - Machine-gun - Anti-tank gun - Infantry - Garrison

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In April, the soldiers were told to expect reinforcement and resupply within 8 weeks. Against all odds, the Rats held Tobruk tight until December of 1941, when they were evacuated by the British Navy after holding Tobruk for 250 days, a little over 8 months.

Related Topics:
Tobruk - British Navy

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