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Osprey Campaign #80
Tobruk 1941: Rommel's Opening Move
In March 1941, with Wavell's British troops having routed the Italians from Cyrenaica, General Erwin Rommel arrived in Tripoli to command the Deutsches Afrikakorps. Over the next two years the Afrikakorps and its commander would become legendary. In his first offensive, Rommel swept across the desert, driving the British back to the Egyptian frontier and capturing much of the 2nd Armoured Division in the process. One thorn remained in his side - the vital port of Tobruk continued to resist. If it could hold out Rommel's offensive might be halted. Wavell instructed General Morshead and his garrison of 30,000 determined Australians to hold at all cost. The scene was set for one of the epic struggles of the desert war.
96 pages, Paperback
Published January 25, 2001
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About the author
Jon Latimer
40 books5 followersEducated at Christleton County High School in Chester, Jon Latimer studied for a geography degree at University College, Swansea but switched course to graduate in oceanography. He worked as an oceanographer until becoming a full-time writer in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 30, 2021
A tenuous 3 stars: Latimer just isn't Ken Ford (who picks up Osprey's Desert War series for 1941-43) in terms of clarity. Why the Germans find themselves in Lybia cannot be explained in 2 paragraphs of Origins of the Campaign. Neither can the drudgery of 8 months of siege in and around Tobruk.
October 11, 2025
Se podría clasificar como propaganda británica del juego de tomar el sol y carreras de carros con daños colaterales, mientras la carne de cañón eran los australianos. Pero bueno, sirve para acercarse a la personalidad de Rommel y también para darse cuanta de que el único frente de guerra (y de exterminio) real fue el del Este, el de las hordas nazis tratando de doblegar a los indómitos soviéticos.
December 3, 2023
This Campaign series book might be better titled: "Tobruk 1941: British Responses to Rommel" than what we have here, speaking honestly. Almost entirely focused on the Allied actions and responses around Tobruk, there is precious little given on Rommel and the Axis forces beyond what was necessary to explain the British responses. A quick glance at the references showed no Axis sources used at all, and that is very disappointing.
Once you get past the idea of this being anything truly about Rommel and the Axis forces in North Africa, the writing on the British/Allied defenses and forces was excellent. A great deal of effort was made to paint the Allied conditions and the many photographs certainly enhanced the story. The limited page count does not allow too much detail, but I feel Latimer did well with the pages as they relate to the British side of things.
The illustrations, maps and color plates were a bit scarce, and there was no wargaming section per usual in these Campaign series books. They did include an index however, which did help you get to pertinent pages quickly.
Overall, I'd grade this a 3.5 Stars with it being a worthwhile read. I deducted a half-star failure to use any Axis sources, and rounded down for the general "bait and switch" of the title.
Once you get past the idea of this being anything truly about Rommel and the Axis forces in North Africa, the writing on the British/Allied defenses and forces was excellent. A great deal of effort was made to paint the Allied conditions and the many photographs certainly enhanced the story. The limited page count does not allow too much detail, but I feel Latimer did well with the pages as they relate to the British side of things.
The illustrations, maps and color plates were a bit scarce, and there was no wargaming section per usual in these Campaign series books. They did include an index however, which did help you get to pertinent pages quickly.
Overall, I'd grade this a 3.5 Stars with it being a worthwhile read. I deducted a half-star failure to use any Axis sources, and rounded down for the general "bait and switch" of the title.
May 12, 2024
The war in Northern Africa changed decisively with the arrival of Erwin Rommel and the DAK. Dynamic and apologist of quickness of action, the campaign accelerated and the allies lost ground trying to protect their meager forces.
This very good introduction to the iconic Tobruk campaign focus obviously on the siege, although all the most important background information and troop movements are offered through clear 2D maps and summaries.
Three of the main confrontations that influenced the siege are wonderfully depicted with 3D maps with an immense amount of information, including the failed Rommel attack of El Madauur and the allied relief attempts of operation “Brevity” and “Battleaxe” so costly to the British, who lost most of their armored vehicles. Clearly, in this phase of the conflict, those who find themselves in strong defensive positions have the upper hand.
You will find in this book not only a competent summary of the campaign, but also glimpses of the life in campaign, some illustrative examples of feats by men of the navy and the army, both British, Australian and others (and even a short description of scary Indian terror tactics).
The photos are very well chosen to provide the maximum information in the shortest amount of space. Jim Laurier's color plates are, as usual, very good pieces of military history, including German SdKfz 232 and an SdKfz 222 of the 3rd Recon Battalion, reconnoitering the terrain near Bengazi; German sappers looking for mines; an artillery position under bombardment and an Aussie combat patrol.
One aspect of this book that could be improved is that it’s quite centered on the allies. Almost all the provided examples and snippets of “humanizing” information related to life on campaign are related to the allies’ point of view. I’m pretty sure that the author could insert one or two situations where the Germans and Italians were the protagonists.
This very good introduction to the iconic Tobruk campaign focus obviously on the siege, although all the most important background information and troop movements are offered through clear 2D maps and summaries.
Three of the main confrontations that influenced the siege are wonderfully depicted with 3D maps with an immense amount of information, including the failed Rommel attack of El Madauur and the allied relief attempts of operation “Brevity” and “Battleaxe” so costly to the British, who lost most of their armored vehicles. Clearly, in this phase of the conflict, those who find themselves in strong defensive positions have the upper hand.
You will find in this book not only a competent summary of the campaign, but also glimpses of the life in campaign, some illustrative examples of feats by men of the navy and the army, both British, Australian and others (and even a short description of scary Indian terror tactics).
The photos are very well chosen to provide the maximum information in the shortest amount of space. Jim Laurier's color plates are, as usual, very good pieces of military history, including German SdKfz 232 and an SdKfz 222 of the 3rd Recon Battalion, reconnoitering the terrain near Bengazi; German sappers looking for mines; an artillery position under bombardment and an Aussie combat patrol.
One aspect of this book that could be improved is that it’s quite centered on the allies. Almost all the provided examples and snippets of “humanizing” information related to life on campaign are related to the allies’ point of view. I’m pretty sure that the author could insert one or two situations where the Germans and Italians were the protagonists.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews