[Image] United we Stand!

22nd October, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

The Men of Five Nations.

During the Siege of Tobruk the Men of 5 Nations were all that stood between Rommel and the Middle Eastern oil fields. Holding out at Tobruk, under siege by the German Afrika Korps and the Italian Army, these men made the German High Command commit far more troops and supplies to the maintenance of the siege than they were comfortable with, far weakening the Axis thrust into Egypt. It also denied Rommel the means of transporting the immense amount of supplies needed to wage a desert war via ship.

Everything the Axis used had to be transported by land across the desert from Tripoli, over a 1,000 miles away. Holding out for the 8 months that they did allowed the Allies to conclude negotiations with the United States for the supply of war materials that would ultimately arrive in time for the Battle of El Alamein in October, 1942.

The men that held the Axis at Tobruk, the only men entitled to be called 'Rats of Tobruk' came from (from left to right) Poland, Britain, India, Australia and Czechoslovakia.

Whilst this blogs primary focus is on the Australian 9th Division's contribution to the war effort the author acknowledges the sacrifice made by the men of all of these nations and I will endeavour to feature them when I have suitable material and a bit more time.

images 041852 and 041853 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Departing Diggers leave their mark.

20th September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

Soon to depart troops leave their mark.

Having been notified that they were to be relieved soon these Diggers decided to leave their marks on a former cafe in Tobruk.

Pictured from left to right are;

SX8509 Pvt. Archibald Lawrence Boyes of the 2/48th.

SX5207 Pvt. Torrence Ford Egan of the 2/48th.

VX40954 Pvt. William Neil Morris of the 2/48th. Pvt. Morris is having a joke by painting his name as "Ned Kelly".

All three men survived the war, especially the carnage of Alamein that was so devastating to the 2/48th Infantry Battalion.

image 020629 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Relieved Rats arrive in Alex

27th September, 1941. Alexandria, Egypt.

Relieved at last!

These 9th Division veterans of Tobruk manage a smile as they arrive via "bomb alley" to the safety of Alexandria, Egypt. Many of these first men to arrive were wounded and were amongst the priority evacuees.

Evacuated at night by destroyers of the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy these ships would arrive on moonless nights and arrive, unload and take on passengers and cargo and then depart all within the space of half an hour. Once free of the harbour the next 60 miles of coastline was known as "bomb alley" as it was the last stretch of water before Egypt in range of Luftwaffe planes. Zigzagging at high speed to avoid bombers and to break up their wakes these ships were the lifeline of Tobruk Garrison. Everything coming into and going out of Tobruk during the siege travelled via this method.

Whilst the men in this photo have been individually numbered for identification purposes the notation with their names that accompanied it has long since been lost.

image 020470 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] An Incredible Escape

22nd April, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

The Benghazi Handicap's Wooden Spooners.

Meet two of the 9th Division's luckiest men. QX1698 Sapper Stanley Curtis and QX2454 Sapper Edward Hetherington-Harford of the 2/7th Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers enjoy a well received cigarette after their late arrival in Tobruk on foot after a 16 day trek.

Left behind in Benghazi to plant demolitions on Italian supply dumps so that the advancing Afrika Korps could not take advantage of them the two Sappers planted explosives to cover the 9th Divisions retreat, known as "the Benghazi Handicap". When surprised by the rapid approach of the advancing Afrika Korp the two men hid and were overtaken by Rommel's Panzer Divisions.

Finding themselves behind enemy lines and surrounded by thousands of Axis troops the men hid by day and travelled by night where possible overland on foot. After a journey of 16 days, and 300 miles (483 kilometres), the men managed to sneak past German positions surrounding Tobruk and return to their units. Immediately hospitalised for treatment of their injuries it is not known if the men played any further part in the Western Desert Campaign. If so I believe they well deserved any rest coming to them after that.

image 041710 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] "The Seat of the Army"

September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

The AIF Field Latrine.

This 9th Division Corporal shows off the type of field latrine used by Australian troop in front line positions at Tobruk. With typical Australian humour it was nicknamed "The seat of the Army".

Designed for use on the sandier parts of the desert, the digger would take a small shovel and dig a hole and place the "seat" over it and complete his task. Careful choice of your boghole's position was necessary to avoid detection by snipers and air attack.

image 021003 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] The Water Rat of Tobruk

25th September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

Gelignite fishing in the harbour.

This soldier of the 9th Division, identified only as Bill Woodhouse of Wynnum, Queensland, is fed up with the constant rations of bully beef and biscuits and looks to supplement his and his mates rations with a few fish fresh from the Mediterranean caught by throwing sticks of Gelignite into the harbour. The ensuing explosion causing a shock wave in the water that kills the fish allowing them to rise to the surface to be collected by the hungry Diggers.

The fish provided the men with much needed variety of fresh protein that the army rations lacked. It was also a much needed stress relief to have a swim in the ocean.

images 020635 and 020636 Australian War Memorial.

Catch of the day, Tobruk style.

[Image] One less Italian bomber over Tobruk

June, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

A fiery end to an Italian air raid.

This Italian bomber met with a fiery end after attempting to bomb Australian positions at Tobruk. Relatively structurally intact, this suggests that the plane managed to make a forced landing but was consumed by fire whilst grounded.

Whether destroyed by fire, or Australian scroungers, there is very little left that is salvageable on this plane. Note the completely featureless landscape behind the wreck.

Image 020071 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Wrong Place, Wrong Time.

19th October, 1942. Tel el Eisa, Egypt.

Wreckage of German supply convoy.

During the last intense days of fighting at Tel el Eisa this German supply convoy arrived with much needed food, water and ammunition. Whilst attempting to deliver the supplies to their intended destination the course of the battle changed and they found themselves behind 8th Army lines. For some hours the battle raged back and forth with ownership of the supplies changing hands twice between British and German troops with the Germans eventually retaining their prize.

Being frantically directed away from the battle to the new supply delivery point by German Intelligence the convoy arrived to find that they had been mistakenly directed into the 9th Division's front lines.

The Germans went hungry that night.

image 013463 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] A Rat in a Hole

August, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

A Rat in a Red Line hole.

Pvt. J. Collins escapes from German shelling in his doover. Pvt. Collins has been able to scrounge wood and metal to brace the walls and roof of his hole in the ground. Men spent incredible lengths of time laying about in holes just like these. It was not uncommon to have to lie in your slit trench all day in blistering heat with little water, having to relieve yourself in a old fruit tin, any movement above the surface would draw the fire of the Germans.

Pvt. Collins has letters from home in the rafters of his shelter. This is obviously a more long term doover, as one would construct during an extended period in the front lines. This photo was taken during a German artillery attack on Red Line positions. This would keep the Diggers underground for extended periods in cramped, hot and dusty conditions. Depending on the time of the shelling men in the Red Line ran the risk of missing out on their one hot meal a day if the rations trucks were attacked.

image 009513 Australian War Memorial.

I have been unable to positively identify Pvt. J Collins as there were 217 men with that name that served in the Army during WW2. If time permits in the future I will attempt to make a positive identification.

[Image] Bored Engineers are trouble

22nd September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

9th Division Engineers improvise a flamethrower.

This Sapper from the 9th Division's Royal Australian Engineers demonstrates a method of improvised flame throwing. In a used 44 Gallon drum he mixes a potion of 60% Benzol and 40% Petrol. Into the mix was thrown a handful of metal shavings.

When ignited by remote device this drum exploded with an immense curtain of liquid flame that would be devastating to exposed infantry. I particularly like the silhouette of the slouch hat in the explosion in the bottom photo.

images 020665 and 020666 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] The barbed wire clothesline

25th September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

A rare opportunity to get clean.

For these men of the 9th Division a rare trip to the incredible white beaches of the Mediterranean is not only leisure, but necessary for bathing. With strict water rationing in effect a soldier's water ration was best used for drinking leaving little for personal hygiene.

The crystal clear salt water of the Mediterranean not only refreshed the troops but doubled as a form of antiseptic, with the salt water immersion aiding in the healing of wounds and desert sores. It was also a welcomed opportunity to wash your very soiled clothes.

It was an unwritten law of the Siege of Tobruk that troops resting at the beaches were not to be fired upon. It was not uncommon for a group of Diggers taking a rest spell on a beach at Tobruk to see Afrika Korp's troops swimming carefree a few miles down the beach.

image 020618 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Tommy got you covered

1st September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

VX31704 Cpl. Warwick Brownrigg & his Thompson.

VX31704 Cpl. W. Brownrigg aims his American made Thompson sub machine gun out a firing slot in the sandbag defences of his position in the Red Line of Tobruk's outer perimeter.

Cpl. Brownrigg, of the 2/23rd Infantry Battalion out of Victoria, featured in a number of photos taken at the time by members of the Military History and Information Unit. In this one he has a rare Tommy Gun with a larger 50 round drum magazine inserted. It also has the fore grip fitted, which with the added weight of the larger magazine made it a necessity for semi-accurate firing.

Cpl. Brownrigg is listed as having been discharged from the Army on 22nd October, 1942. As his service record has not been digitised by the National Archives I am unable to say for certain why. I suspect that his discharge date being so close to the date of the Second Battle of El Alamein that he may have been so severely wounded that he was not expected to be able to return to service and thus discharged. At this stage this is nothing more than an educated guess.

image 020503 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] German Vanity at Alamein

September, 1942. El Alamein, Egypt.

The Swastika flags bound for conquered Alexandria.

These unidentified men of the Australian 9th Division enjoy hunting for German souvenirs amongst the vehicles that they destroyed in a recent advance. It was said that Rommel was so confident on taking Alexandria with his last push that he was ordered by High Command in Berlin to ensure that all vehicles carried adequate supplies of swastika flags so that the victorious Afrika Korps could enter Alexandria under full colours.

In reality they made really cool souvenirs for Aussies to take home to show their friends and family alike. With the ample amount of them carried there were very many less disappointed Diggers after Alamein than before.

images 042008 and 042009 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] 20th Brigade Colour Patches

2/13th Infantry Battalion

New South Wales.

2/15th Infantry Battalion
Queensland.

2/17th Infantry Battalion
New South Wales.

These are the felt colour patches worn by the members of the 20th Brigade of the 9th Australian Division. The felt colour patch is worn on the upper outer sleeve of the tunic on both the left and right arms. They differ from other patches that were worn by other members of the AIF in the Second World War in that they are shaped like the letter 'T' whereas members of the 6th, 7th (except the 18th Brigade) and 8th Divisions wore a patch in the shape of a diamond separated into a top half colour and a bottom half colour.

The significance of the colour patches as worn by the 9th Division and members of the 18th Brigade of the 7th Division is that the shape has been varied from the AIF standard diamond to that of the letter 'T' in tribute to the Battalion's involvement in the defence of Tobruk. It was a badge that the Rat's wore with pride. When on leave everyone knew they were the one's who stopped Rommel in his tracks for so long.

The grey outline signifies the 9th Australian Division, the green border belongs to the 20th Brigade and the 'T' shape is in the individual battalion colours, the 2/13th was black, the 2/15th was purple and the 2/17th was white.

The changing of the colour patch's shapes, in recognition of the men involved in the Siege of Tobruk, has only ever been done this once in the entire history of the AIF.

This is one of the best indications of the significance of the action that the 9th Division was involved in at Tobruk was not lost on the Army. The Army changed nothing in recognition of deeds performed during World War One. This to me is one of the highest honours that the Army ever placed on the 9th Division.

colour patch images General Collection Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Take that Germany!

5th October, 1942. El Alamein, Egypt.

9th Div troops mock Hitler.

These unidentified troops of the 9th Division skylark on a destroyed Mercedes Benz Battle Wagon in a mock salute to Hitler. It was common practice for many Australian troops to skylark in photos wearing pieces of captured German uniforms. A particular favourite, as worn by most of the Diggers in the above photo, is the German M35 Steel Helmet.

image 013356 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Invaluable Aussie Advice

22nd July, 1942. Tel el Eisa, Egypt.

Good advice from the AIF?

The cabin door of this 9th Division ammunition truck is painted with either a timely piece of advice or a commentary on life in the Western Desert. In a typical display of Australian defiant humour the men who painted this sign leave it up to the reader to decide their intent.

image 024624 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] A Lucky Escape at Alamein

November, 1942. El Alamein, Egypt.

One Digger and a lucky escape.

This unidentified Digger of the 9th Division was wounded in both arms in the Second Battle of Alamein and captured by the Germans where he was transported, as a prisoner of war, to a German Dressing Station.

His wounds were treated by a German Medical Officer and when recovering the Dressing Station was captured by British Infantry where the Digger was released and returned to his Battalion. Here he is seen enjoying a smoke while catching up with excited mates.

image 042076 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] The P.M. and the Private.

5th August, 1942. El Alamein, Egypt.

The Hon. Sir Winston Churchill.

The Prime Minister of England, Sir Winston Churchill, visits the 9th Division forward lines at Alamein. Dressed in Suit, Tie and with Pith Helmet, Mr Churchill uses a horsehair fly swatter to keep the insects at bay. He smokes one of his trademark cigars whilst he is escorted by Major General L.J. Morshead, GOC 9th Australian Division.

And the Private.

SX13319 Pvt. Stanley Collins

2/23rd Infantry Battalion.

When touring the front lines Mr Churchill stopped to speak with Pvt. Collins of Adelaide. What happened next ensured that Pvt. Collins was the most famous man in the 9th Division for a day. He bummed a cigar off the Prime Minister of England.

When later asked by curious mates if he intended to smoke it, Pvt. Collins joked that he was going to take it home have it sealed in glass and would then pass it down as a family heirloom. Pvt. Collins survived the war, discharging in September, 1946 as Staff Sergeant Collins. It is not currently known if he did indeed take the cigar home with him in early 1943.

images 024760, 013354 & 013355 Australian War Memorial.

[Quote] Lt Gen Erwin Rommel

1941. North Africa.

Lt General Erwin Rommel

GOC Deutsches Afrika Korps

Rommel, never one to hold back with his thoughts, when asked his opinion on the Australian 9th Division opposing him in Tobruk had this to say;

“The toughest but least disciplined troops in North Africa".

image p01112.001 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] 9th Division scroungers at work

23rd July, 1942. Tel el Eisa, Egypt.

Scrounging from a German Tank.

These two unidentified members of the 9th Division go over a disabled German Panzer Kampfwagen Mk III for anything of value to use against the Axis forces.

Whilst this tank looks relatively intact the telltale dark scoring around the open turret hatch suggests that there will be little of use found inside this tank as it appears to have burnt from the inside. A fire of this magnitude usually meant that the tank took a direct hit from a large calibre anti tank gun. While there is no visible point of entry it is most likely the entry point is on the other side of the tank out of view. The fact that the tracks appear intact also suggests that the tank took a direct hit.

That being said it doesn't look like this is going to deter the Digger on the left who appears to be attempting to move the forward mounted machine gun. This wouldn't be the first German machine gun (likely an MG34) that was taken from a disabled Panzer and put back into service against their former owners by the 9th Division.

image E014741 Imperial War Museum.