Rats of Tobruk

E88026

The Rats of Tobruk were the Allied soldiers, largely Australian, who defiantly held the Libyan port of Tobruk against Axis forces during a prolonged World War II siege.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
The Rats of Tobruk 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf military unit nickname
nickname
alsoIncluded British soldiers
Czechoslovak Army
surface form: Czechoslovak soldiers

Indian soldiers
Polish soldiers
casualties thousands of killed and wounded
commemoratedBy Rats of Tobruk Association
commemoratedIn Australian war memorials
books
documentaries
feature films
composedPrimarilyOf Australian soldiers
conflict North African campaign
World War II
surface form: Second World War

Siege of Tobruk
country Australia
duration approximately 8 months
endTime 1941-12
environment desert warfare
faced air attacks
armour assaults
artillery bombardment
hasQuality resilience
tenacity
languageOfNickname English
legacy symbol of Allied resistance in North Africa
symbol of Australian endurance
location Libya
Tobruk
namedAfter Tobruk
nicknameGivenBy German propaganda
nicknameLaterEmbracedAs badge of honour
nicknameOriginallyDerogatory true
notableCommanderOpponent Erwin Rommel
notableUnit Australian 7th Division elements
Australian 9th Division
opponent Axis powers
German Afrika Korps
Italy
partOf Allies of World War II
refersTo Allied soldiers who defended Tobruk in World War II
role garrison defenders
port defenders
startTime 1941-04
strategicImportance denied Axis use of Tobruk port
supplyMethod by sea
tactics aggressive patrolling
defence in depth

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Siege of Tobruk associatedWith Rats of Tobruk
Tobruk associatedWith Rats of Tobruk
Australian 9th Division nickname Rats of Tobruk
this entity surface form: The Rats of Tobruk
Siege of Tobruk nickname Rats of Tobruk