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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.[1] The port continued to be held by the Allies until its surrender on 21 June 1942.
Between April and August 1941, some 35,000 allies, including around 14,000 Australian soldiers, were besieged in Tobruk by a German–Italian army commanded by General Erwin Rommel. 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. Between August and October, most of the original garrison was replaced by British, Polish and Czechoslovak troops.
The last official ROT member, an Australian ex-soldier, died in August 2024, just shy of the individual's 103rd birthday.[2]
- ^ "The great siege | Australian War Memorial". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "Australia's last Rat of Tobruk Tom Pritchard dies aged 102". ABC News. 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-08-12.