What accolades did the Rats of Tobruk receive?
Medals of a Rat of Tobruk. Official Awarded Medals.
Are there any Rats of Tobruk still alive?
Today, out of 14,000 Aussie Rats that held Tobruk against Rommel’s forces 78 years ago, only around 30 are still alive to tell the story.
Why are rats called Tobruk?
AUSTRALIAN FORCES IN NORTH AFRICA Nevertheless, morale remained high – the Australians adopting the ironic nickname ‘The Rats of Tobruk’, in response to reports that Nazi radio propagandist ‘Lord Haw Haw’ had described them as being caught ‘like rats in a trap’ in one of his broadcasts.
What regiments fought at Tobruk?
From 19–27 September, the British 16th Infantry Brigade, 70th Infantry Division (Major-General Ronald Scobie), the HQ of the 32nd Army Tank Brigade and the 4th Royal Tank Regiment with 6,308 men and more 2,000 long tons (2,032 t) of supplies arrived, while 5,989 men of the 24th Australian Infantry Brigade left, with no …
Who Labelled the Australian troops the Rats of Tobruk?
When German radio propaganda broadcaster William ‘Lord Haw Haw’ Joyce labelled the Allied defenders of Tobruk ‘rats’, little did he know that the tenacious troops would take the name and wear it as a badge of honour.
What did Australia do in Tobruk?
For eight long months, surrounded by German and Italian forces, the men of the Tobruk garrison, mostly Australians, withstood tank attacks, artillery barrages, and daily bombings. They endured the desert’s searing heat, the bitterly cold nights, and hellish dust storms. They lived in dug-outs, caves, and crevasses.
Did Rommel ever capture Tobruk?
Axis forces had conducted the Siege of Tobruk for eight months in 1941 before its defenders, who had become an emblem of resistance were relieved in December….
| Axis capture of Tobruk | |
|---|---|
| Ettore Bastico Erwin Rommel | Neil Ritchie Hendrik Klopper |
| Strength | |
| 96,000 troops (40,000 German, 56,000 Italian) | 35,000 troops |
Who led the Rats of Tobruk?
Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead
The garrison, commanded by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, included the 9th Australian Division (20th, 24th, and 26th Brigades), the 18th Brigade of the 7th Australian Division, four regiments of British artillery, and the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade.
Who won Battle of Tunisia?
The Allied victory in North Africa destroyed or neutralized nearly 900,000 German and Italian troops, opened a second front against the Axis, permitted the invasion of Sicily and the Italian mainland in the summer of 1943, and removed the Axis threat to the oilfields of the Middle East and to British supply lines to …
What is Sidi Rezegh?
Sir Geoffrey Cox described Sidi Rezegh, fought during Operation Crusader in Libya over November and December 1941, as ‘the forgotten battle of the Desert War’. The objective of Crusader was to retake Cyrenaica, the eastern region of Libya, and ultimately drive the Italians and Germans out of North Africa.
What weapons did the Rats of Tobruk use?
Although their twenty-five-pounder field guns were not designed as anti-tank weapons, they were very effective against Rommel’s Panzers, bearing in mind that the standard anti-tank gun was the two-pounder. Tobruk was also defended by anti-aircraft batteries with seventy-five guns between them.
Where are Rats of Tobruk from?
The Rats of Tobruk were soldiers of the Australian-led Allied garrison that held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps, during the Siege of Tobruk in World War II. The siege started on 11 April 1941 and was relieved on 10 December.
What is the Siege of Tobruk medal?
The Siege of Tobruk Medal was originally only available to Australian, New Zealand, British, Indian and Polish troops who saw action during the Siege of Tobruk, Libya between April and December 1941. The medal was commissioned and issued by the Rats of Tobruk Association in 1977. A set of medals including the Tobruk Medal
What does the Rat of Tobruk look like?
At the centre is a gilded image of a rat, surrounded by a purple background. Around the edge is ‘RATS OF TOBRUK / 1941’ in raised letters. There is some ‘shadowing’ on the letters of the words ‘OF’ and ‘TOBRUK’, where the die slightly moved during the manufacturing process. The medal has the remains of silver plating around the border.
What is this’rats of Tobruk/1941′?
Around the edge is ‘RATS OF TOBRUK / 1941’ in raised letters. There is some ‘shadowing’ on the letters of the words ‘OF’ and ‘TOBRUK’, where the die slightly moved during the manufacturing process. The medal has the remains of silver plating around the border.
Why is Tobruk called the ‘Rat City’?
Around twenty of these medals were made at Tobruk, which illustrates one of the earliest examples of the town’s defenders reclaiming the title ‘Rat’, bestowed on them by the propaganda radio program ‘Germany Calling’. Visitors may also notice the brasso caked around the small copper rat on this medal, the result of many years of cleaning.