Media
Backgrounder
Australians who served
» over 555,000 australians served
overseas in the Second World War
» approximately 14,000 australians
served at Tobruk
» Three australian Divisions, the 6th,
7th and 9th served in north africa
Casualties
» more than 39,000 australians died
during the Second World War
» over 3,000 australians died in north
africa
» approximately 800 australians died
at Tobruk and almost 2,000 were
wounded
Victoria Crosses
» Four australians received the
Victoria Cross for their part in the
campaign in north africa
» of these, one medal was awarded
for service in Tobruk and three
Victoria Crosses were awarded for
actions at El Alamein
Cemeteries
» Commonwealth War Graves
Commission cemeteries are located
in:
• Egypt—2312 australians
• libya—856 australians
More information
» overseas memorials in north africa
– www.dva.gov.au/COMMEMS_
OAWG/OAWG/WAR_MEMORIALS/
OVERSEAS_MEMORIALS/Pages/
index.aspx
» australians in WW2 –
ww2australia.gov.au/
Australians in North Africa in WWII
During the initial years of the Second
World War, australia’s military
strategy was closely aligned with
that of the United Kingdom. as a
result, most australian military units
deployed overseas in 1940–1941
were sent to north africa and the
mediterranean where they formed
a key part of the Commonwealth
forces.
in January 1941, australians fought
their first major land battle in the
Second World War when men of the
6th Division and other allied troops,
engaged italian forces at the town of
Bardia on the coast of libya. on 3–5
January 1941, the italian positions
were attacked and Bardia was
captured. over 40,000 italians were
taken prisoner.
Siege of Tobruk
advancing west along the libyan
coast, the 6th Division captured
Tobruk from the italians on 21–22
January 1941 and the town became a
garrison for the australian and British
forces. in early march, one of hitler’s
best generals, Erwin Rommel, with
his afrika Korps came to the aid of
their italian allies in libya. By april,
German forces had begun to cut
off and surround Tobruk. For eight
months, from april to December
1941, Tobruk was besieged and
australian forces, including the 9th
Division and a Brigade of the 7th
Division and Ran ships, dubbed
the ‘scrap iron flotilla’ by German
propagandists, played a prominent
role in the town’s defence.
Rats of Tobruk
1941 was a dark year for the allies.
The Germans conquered all before
them but Tobruk held out against
Rommel and stood in the way of his
Canal. The boldness of the defenders
of Tobruk raised morale in the
countries of the British Empire and
Commonwealth. Those who served
there became known as the ‘Rats of
Tobruk’, because the German radio
propaganda broadcaster ‘lord haw
haw’ described them as rats living in
the ground. The derisive name was
adopted as a badge of honour by the
defenders of Tobruk.
Battle of El Alamein
Three major battles took place
around El alamein, Egypt between
July and november 1942, with the
australian 9th division playing a key
role in two of these battles. Rommel
had forced the allies back into Egypt
from Tobruk and the capture of
Cairo and the Suez Canal seemed
very real. The allies moved to a
defensive position near El alamein
and several months of intense
fighting followed. From august until
the end of october, the allied army
grew steadily in strength and on 2
november, Rommel was forced to
order a general withdrawal.
The 9th Division left Egypt for
australia in January 1943, ending
australia’s involvement in the war in
north africa.
Navy Involvement
Royal australian navy (Ran) ships
served in the eastern mediterranean
and in particular provided support
to ground forces during the Siege of
Tobruk.
Air Force Involvement
Royal australian air Force (RaaF)
squadrons, as well as RaaF personnel
serving with Royal air Force units,
provided air support against the
Germans and italians.
P02087J
advance towards Egypt and the Suez
Email:
[email protected]
For more information contact DVA Media
+61 (0) 2 6289 6203 www.dva.gov.au
PhonE: