history - 1941 Brits and Australians take Tobruk

From: Everette (194cbteng@bellsouth.net)
Date: Sun Jan 22 2006 - 05:16:38 PST


January 22

1941 Brits and Australians take Tobruk

On this day, British and Commonwealth forces enter the port at Tobruk, in
Libya, and tens of thousands of Italian occupiers are taken prisoner.
Italy declared war on Great Britain in June 1940. At that time, Gen. Rodolfo
Graziani had almost 10 times the number of men in Libya than the British
forces in Egypt under Gen. Archibald Wavell, who was commissioned to protect
the North African approaches to the Suez Canal
 On December 9, Maj. Gen. Richard Nugent O'Connor launched a westward
offensive from Mersa Matruh, in Egypt. Thirty thousand Brits warred against
80,000 Italians-but the British had the advantage of 275 tanks to the
Italians' 120. Within three days, 40,000 Italian prisoners were taken. .
Under his direction in early January 1941, the British 7th Royal Tank
Regiment drove westward from Bardia, which it had just taken from the
Italians, with the intention of isolating Tobruk until the 6th Australian
Division could aid in an assault. The attack on the coastal fortress of
Tobruk was finally launched on the 21st and it fell the next day, yielding
30,000 Italian prisoners, 236 guns, and 87 tanks. The 7th Royal Tank
Regiment was a remarkable unit, winning a quick series of battles in Libya
despite a paucity of resources.

Everette



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