The rats of tobruk simple english wikipedia, the free. Fighting rats of tobruk 1951 soldiers chips rafferty, grant taylor, peter finch of the australian and new zealand army corps hold off the nazis for months. The war in north africa, the mediterranean and the middle east. During august and september of 1941, the australian divisions were gradually withdrawn from tobruk. The rats of tobruk may not be charles chauvels best movie, but it deserves serious consideration as his best movie about war which is to argue that it is in some ways superior to his more famous and betterloved forty thousand horsemen 1940, made four years earlier. Vietnam veterans day anzac day reunions 2019 anzac day family archives remembrance day the rats of tobruk association rsl funeral. Around the edge is rats of tobruk 1941 in raised letters. German troops lead by general erwin rommel had arrived in libya to reinforce their italian allies. Summarybetween april and august 1941, over 14,000 soldiers now given the. Tobruk 1967 rock hudson in tobruk 1967 heidy hunt in tobruk 1967 tobruk 1967 heidy hunt and liam redmond in tobruk 1967.
Rats of tobruk war memorial, five dock nsw war memorials. Australians standing by in a hot section of the front, 400 yards from the enemy. Interactive menu, photo gallery, scene access, trailers, synopsis. You need bluray dvd player to view this bluray dvd. They were called rats, a term that the australian soldiers embraced as an ironic compliment. Branch tobruk house news rats of tobruk association victorian branch. The film follows three drover friends who enlist in the australian army together during world war ii. Adolf hitler had prepared for war by socially engineering his followers into the perfect fighting machines. Their story is based on the siege of the libyan city of tobruk in north africa by rommels afrika korps.
The defenders, nicknamed the rats of tobruk, would hold out for eight months. The siege started on 11 april 1941 and was relieved on 10 december. How the rats of tobruk acquired their famous name the perth. On an armoured patrol into the desert, men of the australian 9th division run into an italian patrol. Jun 26, 2015 together they serve in north africa, fighting against the forces of rommel in what has now become one of australias greatest wartime legendsthe rats of tobruk. As war breaks out in europe in 1939, three friends droving cattle in australia decide to join up. This column is a replica of the memorial situated in the war cemetery at tobruk and is dedicated to those who served and those who died during the epic siege. May 18, 2011 this short film features memorial historian dr karl james discussing the exhibition rats of tobruk 1941. Following the capture of bardia, the 6th australian division advanced west along the libyan coast to the italian defended port town of tobruk.
This special anniversary exhibition is on display in the memorial until 16 november 2011. Owen carlton, who compiled it as a tribute to the rats of tobruk. These include bardia and tobruk, beda fomm, rommels first attack. At the centre is a gilded image of a rat, surrounded by a purple background. The rats of tobruk, a name adopted by australian soldiers who were at the siege of tobruk. The term rats of tobruk, a moniker applied by the nazi propagandist. Allied offensive that saw italian forces under rodolfo graziani effectively wiped out. After early successes against the italian army, the army is besieged in tobruk. A critical feat in australian history, downies is proud to present two tobruk releases honouring our aussie heros. On return home the soldiers formed the rats of tobruk association. The rats of tobruk memorial pipes and drums was formed in 1960 as a living memorial to the military units involved in the siege of tobruk of wwii. This site is dedicated to those who fought at tobruk.
An abridged version was released in the united states in 1951 as the fighting rats of tobruk. What was the significance of this event for the war and for australia. This photograph taken in august 1941 shows the rats of tobruk some of the 15,000 men of the 9th. Those who served there became known as the rats of tobruk, so called. The rats of tobruk the fighting rats of tobruk 2015. The siege started on 10 april 1941 and was finally relieved at the end of november. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.
Rats of tobruk home tribute is a tribute to the rats of tobruk, who fought in tobruk, during the siege of tobruk, of 241 days from april 10 to december 1941. From this insult emerged the honourable name rats of tobruk, adored by fellow australians back home. The rats of tobruk 1944 clip 1 on aso australias audio and. Together they serve in north africa, fighting against the forces of rommel in what has now become one of australias greatest wartime legendsthe rats of tobruk. Chamun productions australias only fully wartime feature concentrates on three types with the a. Australians, backed by british artillery and tanks, captured the fortress in the first allied drive through cyrenaica libya, and australian troops, again backed by british artillery, held it against as great odds as have been faced by any garrison in history. Identifying with authority, they obeyed rather than thought.
Rats are one of the most prominent survivors on earth and the soldiers acted the same. The rats of tobruk australian war memorial, london. Political diatribe aside, tobruk reminds us about treachery, duplicity and the ever toxic fifth column that insinuated itself into ww11. The rats of tobruk was the name given to the soldiers who held the libyan port of tobruk against the afrika corps, during the siege of tobruk in world war ii the siege started on 10 april 1941. In the early days of april 1941, the 14,000 australian forces garrisoned in the libyan town of tobruk were told to expect reinforcements and supplies within eight weeks. The memorial commemorates those who served at tobruk during world war two. Captured italian armato m40 far left and m19 middle and right tanks being used by the australian 6th division cavalry regiment during the capture of tobruk in january 1941. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. Madeley, the federal president of the rats of tobruk association. With grant taylor, peter finch, chips rafferty, pauline garrick. The rats of tobruk were soldiers of the australianled allied garrison that held the libyan port of tobruk against the afrika corps, during the siege of tobruk in world war ii. These actions and campaigns were fought in the middle east and the mediterranean where the three australian services were continuously. The rats of tobruk was the name given to the soldiers who held the libyan port of tobruk against the afrika corps, during the siege of tobruk in world war ii. Action packed war epic about a group of british commandos who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines after the german afrika korps smash through the.
The rats who returned to melbourne formed as association which has branches in every state as well as in the united kingdom. Tobruk truth the rats of tobruk association, queensland. The desert rats is a 1953 film directed by robert wise, starring richard burton and james mason it tells the story of the siege of tobruk, aprilnovember 1941. David is currently the pipe major of the band having joined the rats of tobruk in 2003. For five months the rats of tobruk held on, dealing a major blow to the axis powers north african campaign. During world war 2, more than 14,000 australians fought at tobruk libya, during the historic 242 day siege. To view or download the tobruk house story click here. Roughly how many casualties did the rats of tobruk suffer. Rats of tobruk memorial 312 words exact match in snippet view article find links to article memorial on 17 april 1991 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the siege of tobruk, by mr j. A squadron of australian soldiers try to hold off the germanitalian army commanded by general rommel during the 1941 siege of tobruk in world war ii. The rats of tobruk may not be charles chauvels best movie, but it deserves serious consideration as his best movie about war. Eight months later these heroic, gallant, determined rats of tobruk were rescued by the british navy having held the fort against the might of rommels neverbefore defeated afrika corps.
Together they serve in north africa, fighting against the forces of rommel in what has now become one of. Tobruk was the only deep water port in eastern libya and as a consequence it had been heavily fortified by its former italian garrison. The rats of tobruk the experiences of australians during ww2. But the troops embraced the term, taking great pride. Controlling north africa would give the allied forces a base from which to attack occupied europe, across the mediterranean. My husbands experiences of war pt2 the desert rats wood for the ovens was very short and we used all the wood from the bombed buildings and, when this was. The only libyan territory still in british hands was the cyrenaican port of tobruk.
The rats of tobruk is a 1944 australian film directed by charles chauvel. Wikimedia commons has media related to rats of tobruk memorial the replica memorial is based on the 1941 memorial in the tobruk war cemetery, built by australian soldiers during the siege, which has since been destroyed. This site is dedicated to the famous rats of tobruk who were members of the allied forces who fought at. Action packed war epic about a group of british commandos who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines after the german afrika korps smash through the allied defenses in north africa. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Watch the fighting rats of tobruk full free by lynn m. Tells the story of three menbluey, a tough two fisted drover taylor, milo, a laconic dingo trapper rafferty, and pete, an intellectual english new chum finch. To play the downloadable video, you need quicktime 7. The battle started on 11 april 1941, when tobruk was besieged by an italian and nazi german force commanded by lieutenant general erwin rommel. The rats of tobruk was the name given to the soldiers of the garrison who held the libyan port of tobruk against the afrika corps, during the siege of tobruk in world war ii.
Tobruk 1941 is the pioneering abc reporter chester wilmots ontheground account of the siege, a landmark work of war writing. The australian soldiers go the nickname the rats of tobruk because of their endurance. The siege started on 10 april 1941, when tobruk was attacked by an italogerman force under lieutenant general erwin rommel and continued for 241 days up to 27 november 1941, when it was relieved by the allied 8th army during operation crusader. The siege continued for 240 days up to 27 november 1941. View map of north africa this is a large file and may take some time to download. On 35 january 1941, the italian positions were attacked and bardia was captured. By 1941, theyre with the 9th division of the australian infantry force, fighting italians and nazis in north africa. The rats of tobruk hold an identifiable place within the ranks of returned servicemen, particularly in australia, where there is the rats of tobruk memorial, canberra on 22 march 1944, the original members of the rats of tobruk formed the north bondi subbranch of the returned and services league of australia and it is still known in modern times as tobruk house or the rathouse. Rat of tobruk definition rats of tobruk association. Oct 11, 2011 commemorating one of the first major battles that australia fought in world war ii, the rats of tobruk 1941 special exhibition is on display in the canberra memorial until november 16 2011. The siege of tobruk was a battle in libya during world war ii. Specifically, my question addresses the attitudes of australian peoples toward the rats of tobruk during 1941 when the siege took place, with further references supplied to prove that such attitudes have remained intact in the following decades. The rats of tobruk controlling north africa would give the allied forces a base from which to attack occupied europe, across the mediterranean. The troops were later the subject of the film the rats of tobruk starring peter finch and chips rafferty.
The port continued to be held by the allies until its surrender on 21 june 1942. The victorian state branch decided to form a pipe band as a living memorial to the soldiers who died at tobruk and to keep alive the proud name the rats of tobruk. The file contains the names and details of members the 2nd3rd alaar who were legitimately rats of tobruk. Australian troops of the australian 9th division and the 18th brigade of the australian 7th division under lieutenant general leslie morshead made. Horsemen is a more entertaining and better constructed film, fully deserving of its place in the. Special mention to owen carlton and roger murphy who have tirelessly worked for years verifying and documenting the rats roll, pierre sellier fr for his artistic work creating the logo for the association and banners, and others too many to mention who work towards keeping this story alive for the benefit of future generations. Like gallipoli and kokoda, the siege of tobruk is an iconic battle in australias military history. Unofficial rats of tobruk medal the australian war memorial. May 17, 2015 the memorial commemorates those who served at tobruk during world war two. It is the capital of the butnan district formerly tobruk district and has a population of 120,000 2011 est. Mar 30, 2017 the association acknowledges this file is the property of mr. The german advance from libya into egypt has cut off the vital libyan port of tobruk, which remains in allied hands.
The rats of tobruk was the name given to the soldiers of the garrison who held the libyan. Today, out of 14,000 aussie rats that held tobruk against rommels forces 78 years ago. Eight months later these heroic, gallant, determined rats of tobruk were rescued by the british navy having held the fort against the might of rommels neverbeforedefeated. Rats of tobruk memorial pipes and drums home facebook. How teachers and students can make the quick transition to online learning. The focus is for students to collect information and record their references appropriately. The rats of tobruk memorial pipes and drums was formed in 1960 as a living memorial to the military units involved in the siege of tobruk of wwii, april to december 1941. In their stead were sent soldiers from these three places. Italian troops, 1941 the desert rats 1953 tcf film about the siege of tobruk. The siege of tobruk which began on april 11 1941 saw desert rats shelled by german aircraft in order to repel all attacks from the afrika korps. Mar 18, 2011 in so doing, they achieved lasting fame as the rats of tobruk. One of his most famous taunts occurred during the 1941 siege of tobruk when the allied garrison, including 14,000 australian troops, held out against axis forces besieging the libyan city and its strategically important port. The deserts of north africa were an important battleground in world war ii. Anyway, tobruk is a gritty little war thriller escapade that causes the viewer to sweat and recall a far away war in the desert, a war that had justification.
The rats of tobruk were australian war soldiers that fought in a siege that took place from 11 april 1941 to 27 november 1941. There were also major oil fields in the middle east that were vital to fuel their tanks, planes and motorised transport. Rats of tobruk memorial canberra the soil of tobruk must be forever australian. Tobruk is a 1967 american war film starring rock hudson and george peppard and directed by arthur hiller. The rats of tobruk were soldiers of the australianled allied garrison that held the libyan port. Information and translations of tobruk in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Jul, 2016 this task requires students to use the given websites to complete a research task on the rats of tobruk. At dawn on 21 january 1941, after air and artillery support, the 6th division broke through the italian lines in the south and by 8 am the entire. The rats of tobruk 1944 clip 1 on aso australianscreen. Joyce scoffed that the men were caught like rats in a trap. The nazi propagandist lord haw haw william joyce derided the tenacious defenders as rats, a term that the australian soldiers embraced as an ironic compliment. What you need to know about the siege of tobruk imperial war.
Combined german and italian troops had sealed off all land approaches to tobruk on april 11. This edition comes with a new introduction by the historian peter cochrane. Curators notes the rats of tobruk 1944 on aso australia. Laid 21st october 1995 jointly by rats of tobruk association snd five dock r. Erwin rommel, in a letter to his wife, lucie, wrote, today may well see the end of the battle of tobruk. As the traffic began to pile up, the italians began to fan out across the desert to the. Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer a lash at the enemy from the feature film the rats of tobruk as a high quality video download.
1399 1143 1423 198 1443 340 358 660 737 555 735 1420 813 323 466 803 194 558 121 327 12 680 252 1224 515 1112 804 658 816 864 1278 943