The Rats who returned to Melbourne formed as Association which has branches in every state as well as in the United Kingdom. The soldiers from Australia and Britain had to protect the port and canal at torbruk. Controlling North Africa would give the Allied forces a base from which to attack occupied Europe, across the Mediterranean. The first battle of Tobruk arose after the Italian invasion of Ottoman-held Libya … Tobruk. Tank battle four miles south. Tobruk; When did it occur? Welcome to the Rats of Tobruk Association's Facebook page !! Total = 3907. Some fresh water was produced in ingenious stills made from old gasoline drums, but the taste was always sulfurous. Approximately 14,000 Australians were in the siege of Tobruk. From the sale, they hoped to raise up to A$1.5 million to be used for research at Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, where a neuroscience ward, the Rats of Tobruk Ward, had already been named after them. The rats of torbruk took 2700 Italian prisoners. The relief of the 18th Brigade commenced in August and by October the Australians with the exception of 2/13 Battalion were relieved by the Polish Carpathian Brigade and British Troops. On 3–5 January 1941, the Italian positions were attacked and Bardia was captured. On 11 April, Rommel attacked Tobruk with tanks and foot soldiers, but the defenders were able to turn him back. Saw our tanks on fire […] We are now surrounded. Accession Number: 009514. The Rats of Tobruk is a 1944 Australian film directed by Charles Chauvel.An abridged version was released in the United States in 1951 as The Fighting Rats of Tobruk.The film follows three drover friends who enlist in the Australian Army together during World War II.Their story is based on the siege of the Libyan city of Tobruk in North Africa by Rommel's Afrika Korps. It took the Australians less than two days to capture 27,000 Italian POWS, 208 guns, 28 tanks and a large number of supplies. 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of Australia’s first major battles of the Second World War. Contributed by Michael Hall. Atatürk and Tobruk. Up until this point in the war these “blitzkrieg” tactics had never failed. Rats of Tobruk – Rats of Tobruk. On January 21 1941, the Australian 6th division attacked the Italian garrison of Tobruk. Also they lived in very dirty conditions and were always dirty and muddy like a rat. There were some 14,000 Australian troops and 12,000 British and Indian troops in Tobruk during the siege. English Cemetery in Tobruk It was during the first of these attempts that Corporal John Hurst Edmondson showed the conspicuous bravery that was to earn him a posthumous Victoria Cross. There were approximately 14,000 Australian troops and 12,000 British and Indian troops in Tobruk during the siege. On 8th April 1941 the garrison of Tobruk consisting of the 9th Division, the 18th Brigade of the 7th Division with British and Indian Troops, came under siege which was to last for 242 days. James Cecil (Cec) Cotter was forty years of age when he enlisted at Moore Park in Sydney in December 1940, although he claimed to be only thirty seven. There was a shortage of fresh food and drinking water, so the troops took vitamin tablets. OUR STORY. Good Friday. Very heavy artillery barrage all afternoon. There are only a small number of surviving Australian Rats of Tobruk. The deserts of north Africa were an important battleground in World War II. The Australians were very determined and known as the boys from the bush. This was the first time anyone had been able to stop the German forces in the north African campaign. The long siege had finally ended as the Rats of Tobruk wrote an irreplaceable chapter in Australia's history. Today, when I stood listening to the bugle and sniffing my sprig of rosemary (and trying to get a wriggly 4 year old to understand remembrance), I thought of you Pa. Over 40,000 Italians were taken prisoner. 776 – Killed in action or died of wounds The garrison, commanded by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, consisted of the 9th Division (20th, 24th, and 26th Brigades), the 18th Brigade of the 7th Division, along with four regiments of British artillery and some Indian troops. The Victorian State Branch decided to form a Pipe Band as a living memorial to the soldiers who died at Tobruk and to keep alive the proud name “The Rats of Tobruk”. 2008 Rats of Tobruk Project , by Owen Carlton, A Proud Aussie Nasho & Ex ROTA Melb.Member of DOTROTA. Rats of Tobruk. Here the Germans had suffered a serious reverse and the Tobruk garrison had demonstrated that the hitherto successful “blitzkrieg” tactics could be defeated by resolute infantry who held their ground, by defence in depth and by individual courage. It cannot be claimed that Tobruk stopped Rommel and his Africa Corps but it cannot be overlooked that the siege had an important effect on the war for another reason. Although they do not see far, their nose and ears have well-developed senses. Lord Haw-Haw, during his notorious radio broadcasts, contemptuously referred to them as “poor desert rats of Tobruk.” The 9th Australian Division who garrisoned the port proudly adopted this nickname and even designed their own rat-shaped medals, crafted from scrap metal taken from a German bomber that they had downed with a captured German gun. Tobruk is the most important port in northern Africa, because its deep water allows large ships to dock there. There were 14,000 Rats of Tobruk. Combined with the searing hot conditions, freezing nights and devastating dust storms, the Rats of Tobruk … 65 – Missing By 10 April 1941, the German and Italian forces under the command of Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel had surrounded the Tobruk garrison which was being defended by British Commonwealth forces including more than 14,000 Australians, under the command of Major General Leslie Morshead. The "Rats of Tobruk" earned an honoured place in Australian military history, more than 70 years ago. Controlling north Africa would give the Allied forces a base from which to attack occupied Europe, across the Mediterranean. 954 – Prisoners As time moves on, and as ROTA Branches are closing and fading out, we are fast losing our Veteran Rats of Tobruk, with only 52 Living Rats now recorded on the National ROT Database, based on Family and other Input.. The Rats of Tobruk. The Nazis used people from English-speaking backgrounds to broadcast propaganda intended to demoralize and undermine the soldiers and citizens of Allied nations. 2112 – Wounded in action Visitors to the Memorial’s exhibition Rats of Tobruk 1941 will have noticed the unofficial Rats of Tobruk medal presented, according to its engraving, by Lord Haw Haw. Libya & the siege of Tobruk, Department of Vetrans Affairs, The siege of Tobruk, ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee, The rats of Tobruk, Australian Screen Online. WHERE IS Tobruk AND WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT IN 1941 ? For one reason or another, the Italians offered little resistance and many surrendered without fighting. Although the Germans dominated the desert, the British Navy still controlled the waters around the port, so they were able to supply provisions to the men holding Tobruk. The German forces made two serious attempts to capture Tobruk using “blitzkrieg” tactics of a deep armoured thrust through defences followed up by infantry. There were some 14,000 Australian troops and 12,000 British and Indian troops in Tobruk during the siege. Total = 3907. One of these was William Joyce, who had been born in America and grew up in Ireland. if you are in/near Bundaberg, visiting the Rats of Tobruk Memorial there watching these clips on the siege and our brave , defiant “ rats “ catching a movie online about the Tobruk siege – eg “ The Fighting Rats of Tobruk ” (1944), “ The Desert Rats ” (1953) or “ Tobruk ” (2008) “The reason we were there was that Germany declared war against England and if the Germans weren't stopped I don't know how far they would have gone”. The 2/13th remained to fight its way out in December when the garrison broke out to join up with the British Eighth Army which effected the relief of Tobruk on 10th December 1941. Because of the almost daily enemy air attacks, arrivals and departures of the ships were conducted under cover of darkness. Significance . Why were they called the 'Rats of Tobruk'? Rommel’s forces surrounded the port in early April 1941, and so began the siege of Tobruk. He used panzer (‘armour’) tanks to make swift attacks across the flat desert terrain, driving most of the Allied forces out of Libya, into Egypt. Nazi propaganda radio broadcasts spoke contemptuously of the Tobruk defenders as ‘rats’. There are more than 64 types of rats with an average size of between 9 and 12 inches long excluding the tail though some species can grow to over 30 inches. The siege ran from the 1 th April 1941 Rommel kept up the bombardment until November 1941, when a counter-attack by the British re-took the territory, and the siege was ended. They were unprepared and had little weapons. Some Italian forces were present in this campaign, but it was the German forces under Field Marshall Erwin Rommel that played the greatest part. Siege of Tobruk. Unfortunately their replacements were unable to hold the position. In defiance, the soldiers proudly adopted this nickname and have been known by it ever since. Between April and August 1941 around 14,000 Australian soldiers were besieged in Tobruk by a German–Italian army commanded by General Erwin Rommel. During the siege, some 3,000 Australian troops were killed or injured. They were called the rats of Tobruk as there attitude and the way the Australians fought made them live like rats and they scurried around the war collecting food and weapons stealthily which made them seem like rats. The other peculiarity of his enlistment was that twenty years earlier, Cec had been described as being almost blind, yet that did not prevent him from becoming one of the Rats of Tobruk. Continuous air raids all day. The Victorian State Branch decided to form a Pipe Band as a living memorial to the soldiers who died at Tobruk and to keep alive the proud name “The Rats of Tobruk”. General Montgomery fought back and recaptured Tobruk on November 13, 1942. Diary entry for 11 April 1941 by Harold Johnstone, a soldier in Tobruk. Control of oil supplies was often a deciding factor in winning battles. They saw it as an opportunity to travel and see the world. Because of the almost daily enemy air attacks, arrivals and departures of the ships were conducted under the cover of darkness. Allied forces endured air raids and artillery attacks during the day. Between April and the end of August, the garrison was subjected to 593 enemy air raids. Australians met Americans for the first time and discovered they did not always match the Hollywood image. Rommel was recognised by his enemies as a brilliant tactician; and at first, his troops were unstoppable. The Rats of Tobruk held their position until … The Commander-in-Chief, Sir Archibald Wavell, instructed that the seaport town of Tobruk was to be held, if possible, for two months in order to give time for the assembly of reinforcements, especially of armoured troops for the defence of Egypt. Rats of Tobruk 1941. The Rats of Tobruk subsisted chiefly on the old British Army standby of bully (corned) beef. By 2007, there were just 80 left, all aged in their 80s and 90s, who decided to sell the hall. Major Arthur Moon saved lives in the Japanese prison camps, and kept a secret record of his work. There were also the desert rats, like miniature kangaroos with long tails with a brush on the end, and capable of terrific speeds. The deserts of North Africa were an important battleground in World War II. A hard fought battle along a narrow jungle track created a legend in Australian history. The siege started on 10 April 1941 and was finally relieved at the end of November. Advancing west along the Libyan coast, the 6th Division captured Tobruk from the Italians on 21–22 January 1941 and the town became a garrison for the Australian and British forces. The Rats who returned to Melbourne formed as Association which has branches in every state as well as in the United Kingdom. The rats of Tobruk held down the port of Tobruk against all the odds. Although the Germans dominated the desert, the British Navy still controlled the waters around the port, so they were able to supply provisions to the men holding Tobruk. 22 January 1941 How and why were Australia involved? Although the Germans dominated the desert, the British Navy still controlled the waters around the port, so they were able to supply provisions to the men holding Tobruk. The seventh Australian Division tenaciously resisted several german counter attacks at Tobruk and were eventually withdrawn on a moonless night. By mid-February, the last Axis troops were driven out of Libya. Tobruk was a great boost to the morale of the Allied forces: the seemingly invincible Germans had finally been turned back. It is also surrounded by steep escarpments, which make it easy to fortify against attack from the land. was the first awarded to an Australian during the 1939 – 1945 War. Because he spoke with an upper-class English accent, he was nicknamed 'Lord Haw-Haw'. Countless more no doubt, like my Pa, carried the less visible, less immediate scars of war. To the best of our knowledge there were 17 Australian ‘Rats’ still enjoying life as at the end of … A number of British and Commonwealth troops remained in Libya, in the fortified port of Tobruk. Allied forces endured air raids and artillery attacks during the day. During the siege, they designed their own medals, in the shape of a rat, made from the scrap metal of a downed German aeroplane. There were tank attacks from the heavily reinforced Italians and the Germans, air attacks, and bombardments of artillery. 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