On this day in 1941, the 6th Australian Division launched an attack that captured the Italian-garrisoned port of Tobruk, a key port on the Libyan coast. Just weeks later, the troops were visited by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who shot footage of a still-burning oil tanker in Tobruk Harbour with his own home movie camera. Of course, the Axis powers later launched a counterattack, which resulted in the 241-day Siege of Tobruk, but this too was ultimately defeated by Australian troops, who have come to be known as the Rats of Tobruk.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 09:27:03 +0000
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