Siege of Tobruk
1941 CE · Libya
The Siege of Tobruk was fought in 1941 CE in Libya between British Commonwealth forces, chiefly Australian, vs Germany and Italy; Allied victory; the port held for 241 days until the siege was lifted.
Siege of Tobruk: quick facts
- Date
- 1941 CE
- Location
- Libya
- Belligerents
- British Commonwealth forces, chiefly Australian, vs Germany and Italy
- Commanders
- Leslie Morshead vs Erwin Rommel
- Result
- Allied victory; the port held for 241 days until the siege was lifted.
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Siege of Tobruk?
For 241 days, a garrison of predominantly Australian troops held the Libyan port of Tobruk against Rommel's Afrika Korps, denying the Germans a key supply port and disrupting their advance into Egypt. German propaganda derisively called the defenders 'Rats of Tobruk,' a name the Australians adopted with fierce pride. The successful defense was one of the first times Axis forces had been stopped and held in the war, boosting Allied morale during a dark period.
Did you know?
German propaganda called the Tobruk defenders 'Rats.' The Australian garrison adopted the insult as a badge of honor, designing a medal featuring a rat that veterans wore with pride for the rest of their lives.
Sources and further reading
- Siege of Tobruk on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.