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Overview
Minute-by-minute account of the offensiveCovers both the British attackers and the German defendersExplains how and why the assault failed so badly
In the late summer of 1942, Rommel's Afrika Korps stood perilously close to breaking through to Cairo and the Nile, having already taken the fortress of Tobruk. In a desperate effort to halt the Germans and buy time for the Allies, British forces—including the Royal Marines, Royal Navy, the SAS, and the Long Range Desert Group—attempted to storm Tobruk and destroy the Axis port there. The operation failed with terrible losses. Peter C. Smith unearths many previously unrevealed facts and highlights the bravery and endurance of those who participated.
Synopsis
By September 1942, Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps stood perilously close to breaking through to Cairo and the Nile. The Desert Fox had captured Tobruk three months earlier and turned the city into a vital Axis supply port. In a desperate attempt to halt the Germans and buy time for the Allies, the British launched a daring amphibious raid on Tobruk, combining forces from the Royal Marines, Royal Navy, SAS, Long Range Desert Group, and other secret units. Boldly conceived and bravely conducted, the assault nevertheless failed with terrible losses.