The North Africa Campaign
The North Africa campaign took place from June 10th 1940 to May 13th 1943 in Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco after Italy launched forces from these colonies. When the campaign finished the allies (United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, Free France, Poland, Czechoslovak Legions, Greece and Egypt) won, resulting in a fall of the all of the Italian empire. The end of this campaign brought on the Italian campaign and the invasion of Sicily.
During the North Africa campaign was the siege of Tobruk in Libya. This siege lasted for 241 days from April 10th to 27th November 1941. Around 14,000 Australian soldiers were taken to Tobruk by a Germen/ Italian army. The allies who were defending Egypt and the Suez Canal had to hold Tobruk in its harbour, forcing the enemy to take their supplies from an overland port. They did had to do this across 1500 km of desert while also diverting troops from their advance. This town constantly had ground assaults, bombing and shelling. A Nazi propagandist that went by the name of Lord Haw Haw named the Allies attacking them ‘rats caught in a trap’, the soldiers embraced this name as an ironic compliment and a symbol of pride. These men now have an identifiable place in the ranks of returned servicemen in Australia.
Ships from the British royal navy and the royal Australian navy braved bombardment from the enemies to deliver supplies to the garrison in Tobruk. During the siege, the allies strengthened their defences, putting up barbed wire fences and mines around the towns perimeter. They had dug trenched on three sides of the town, conducting raids at midnight to sabotage the enemy’s equipment and attack their soldiers. In late November, the allied forces brought in reinforcements to help build the numbers of soldiers and supplies needed to defeat the siege, making this the first major setback for the German forces. The siege resulted in 832 deaths, 2,177wounded and 941 prisoners of war.
During the North Africa campaign was the siege of Tobruk in Libya. This siege lasted for 241 days from April 10th to 27th November 1941. Around 14,000 Australian soldiers were taken to Tobruk by a Germen/ Italian army. The allies who were defending Egypt and the Suez Canal had to hold Tobruk in its harbour, forcing the enemy to take their supplies from an overland port. They did had to do this across 1500 km of desert while also diverting troops from their advance. This town constantly had ground assaults, bombing and shelling. A Nazi propagandist that went by the name of Lord Haw Haw named the Allies attacking them ‘rats caught in a trap’, the soldiers embraced this name as an ironic compliment and a symbol of pride. These men now have an identifiable place in the ranks of returned servicemen in Australia.
Ships from the British royal navy and the royal Australian navy braved bombardment from the enemies to deliver supplies to the garrison in Tobruk. During the siege, the allies strengthened their defences, putting up barbed wire fences and mines around the towns perimeter. They had dug trenched on three sides of the town, conducting raids at midnight to sabotage the enemy’s equipment and attack their soldiers. In late November, the allied forces brought in reinforcements to help build the numbers of soldiers and supplies needed to defeat the siege, making this the first major setback for the German forces. The siege resulted in 832 deaths, 2,177wounded and 941 prisoners of war.
Dust storms, heat, fleas, flies, sleepless nights, when the earth shook with the roar of the enemy’s fury, daring raids into no man’s land through mine fields and barbed wire, scorching day after day in the front line, where no man dared stand upright, but crouched behind a knee-high protection of rocks- all these things had been the lot of the defenders of Tobruk. - The Age, 24 November 1941.
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