Libya WW2
The port city of Tobruk would become the epicenter of the brutal African campaign during World War 2, and it would push the Allies to unimaginable lengths in their attempt to defend it. In June of 1942, the German forces under the command of General Erwin Rommel were on the run from the British 8th Army. The Allies had recently liberated Tobruk from a famous eight-month siege in which the heroic actions of the 9th Australian maintained the port in Allied hands against overwhelming odds. As the 8th Army expelled the weakened and depleted Axis forces from eastern Libya, the Allied high command figured it would be impossible for Rommel to launch a counteroffensive anytime soon. Calmly, General Neil Ritchie sent off many of the 8th Army back to Egypt and replaced the remaining troops with inexperienced soldiers. The miscalculation would prove fatal, as Rommel launched a fierce offensive that overwhelmed the Commonwealth forces. By June 20, Tobruk was again under Axis siege, and the ensuing battle would severely change the course of the war…
Credit Dark Docs
