Tobruk 1941: Capture, Siege, Relief

I thought I understood much of what was happening at Tobruk, but this gem of reporting/writing showed me how wrong I was. Wilmot (the author) was in Tobruk and talked to many of those who were involved in so many different ways. If you have any interest in the North African campaign, I would rank this book as one of the top two I have ever read (the other being Atkinson's The Army at Dawn). Highly recommended.

While I had heard vaguely of Tobruk I really had no idea what had happened there. I was fascinated to learn of the courage that the Aussies fought with when attacking the Germans & Italians who;1. Out numbered them2. Out gunned them3 and had air superiority over them.They fought with such courage and ferocity that the axis forces genuinely feared them. The tactics the used on night patrols are reminiscent of the tactics used by special forces groups. In the end all they were trying to do was stay alive and hold Tobruk. Not everything was a success and they suffered many casualties however they managed to be the first allied group to stop the German advance in WW2 and prevent Tobruk from falling into German hands.Now I have a much better appreciation of the ANZAC spirit and haw it was fostered in WW2.