Tobruk
Subtitle: The Birth of a Legend
Edition: 2nd Edition edition
Publisher: Cassell
Published: June 2004
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9780304362585
Subjects: African history: Second World War; European history: Second World War; Second World War, 1939-1945; History; History - Military / War; Military; Europe; North Africa; Military - World War II; History / Military / World War II; Army; Australia; Division, 70th; Great Britain; Harrison, Frank; Personal narratives, British; Regimental histories; Tobruk, Battles of, Tobruk, Libya, 1941-1942; World War, 1939-1945
Description: The siege of Tobruk in 1941 was the first time the British army succeeded in defeating a German army operation in World War II. Despite all the ingenuity of Erwin Rommel, the 'Desert Fox', and the bravery of his Afrika Korps, the outnumbered and outgunned British garrison held the port until a relief mission, 'Operation Battleaxe', drove back the German and Italian forces.

It was during this epic siege that 'Lord Haw Haw', the German propaganda broadcaster, coined the phrase 'Desert Rats'. He intended it as an insult, but the soldiers at Tobruk took a perverse pride in the name which became the nickname of the 8th Army in general and the 7th Armoured division in particular.
Table of contents: title: List of maps
pagenum: 6; title: Acknowledgements
pagenum: 7; title: Introduction
pagenum: 9; title: Part one: Siege. The story of Australian 9th Division
pagenum: 13; title: Part two: Break-out. The story of British 70th Division
pagenum: 155; title: Part three: Rommel in 1941. An appraisal
pagenum: 299; title: Epilogue
pagenum: 321; title: Notes
pagenum: 331; title: Bibliography
pagenum: 342; title: Index
pagenum: 345