Tobruk
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4.4 • 92 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The number 1 non-fiction bestseller.More than 100,000 copies sold!
'What we have, we hold'MOttO OF AUStRALIA'S 2/17tH BAttALIONIn the tradition of his bestselling Kokoda, Peter FitzSimons, Australia's most beloved popular historian, focuses on one of the seminal moments in Australian history: the Battle of tobruk in 1941, in which more than 15 000 Australian troops - backed by British artillery - fought in excruciating desert heat through eight long months, against Adolf Hitler's formidable Afrika Korps.During the dark heart of World War II, when Hitler turned his attention to conquering North Africa, a distracted and far-fl ung Allied force could not give its all to the defence of Libya. So the job was left to the roughest, toughest bunch that could be mustered: the Australian Imperial Force. the AIF's defence of the harbour city of tobruk against the Afrika Korps' armoured division is not only the stuff of Australian legend, it is one of the great battles of all time, as against the might of General Rommel and his Panzers, the Australians relied on one factor in particular to give them the necessary strength against the enemy: mateship.Drawing on extensive source material - including diaries and letters, many never published before - this extraordinary book, written in Peter FitzSimons' highly readable style, is the definitive account of this remarkable chapter in Australia's history.Foreword by Manfred Rommel.
Customer Reviews
Great yarn wonderfully told
This is a truly wonderful story of bravery, ingenuity and mateship respectfully and openly recounted. Great read for any Aussie and person who wants to learn the value of respect for your adversary.
Great Yarn
I really enjoyed both the style of the writing, the story itself as well as the battle details. The fleshing out of events at a personal, tactical and strategic level make this a cohesive and enjoyable read.
A must read
FitzSimons tells a story that seems to get missed in most conventional
histories. World War I and the fall of France were supposed to have
demonstrated that static defense was no longer viable. Morshead and
the 9th Division not only defended the indefensible Tobruk, they also
denied the German Army a land target for the first time and shattered
the myth of German invincibility.
Rommel's failure to take Tobruk from the 9th Division doomed his
African campaign and gave England the breathing space it needed till
the entry of the US. Without this, Germany may have been able to
devote all its resources to the eastern front and history may have
been very different.
FitzSimons takes these little understood events and creates a story
that does justice to the feats of the defenders of Tobruk. Everyone
with a passing interest in history should read this book.