This week in the War, 20–26 January 1941: Tobruk

Forces under British general Richard O’Connor—and the Australian 6th Division, in particular—were racing westward along the coast of Libya. This week in the war, on 22 January 1941, they captured Tobruk—one of the most heavily fortified towns in Italy’s colonial empire.

Seventy-two years later, a striking photo of Allied guns firing on the outskirts of Tobruk became The Guardian‘s picture of the week.

The triumph of O’Connor and his troops is described in the highly-readable and fascinating book War Without Hate—The Desert Campaign of 1940-1943 by John Bierman and Colin Smith (Penguin, 2004).

Among other things, Bierman and Smith recount the astonishment of Allied troops on discovering the enemy’s ample (lavish, even) provisions in food and furnishings: fine cheeses, chocolates and jams (both of the latter rationed in war-torn Britain), wooden chests, linens and parade-style uniforms with coloured sashes and feathered hats.

The Brits and Aussies would not keep Tobruk for ever. Rommel was on his way, and Montgomery would eventually arrive. The town would change hands a few more times.