1941, Monday 14 April;
“The Germans have broken through the wire, we’ve got to push them out, here’s what we’re going to do” Lieutenant Austin Mackell, commander of no 16 platoon, sat in the command bunker of strongpoint R33, explaining his plan with his section leaders. He spoke slowly, carefully, looking each man in the eye, checking to see they understood. Conference over, Mackell picked up a rifle, and attached the bayonet, and with Corporal Edmondson, moved to the rear of the strongpoint. The rest of Edmondson’s section, were waiting, minus the Bren gun pair, who were staying, helping provide covering fire.
”Ok boy’s lets go” Mackell climbed out of the trench, and began a scurried run to the right, followed by Edmondson and the five remaining men of his section, at a fast, bent over stumble, across the rocky ground, in an effort to flank the Germans. Things went well at first, the small party making good progress in the dark night, familiar with the ground they were defending. But somehow a German saw them, a glint of a helmet, or bayonet, a rock rolling away, and called out. Seconds later, a machine gun opened fire, forcing the men down. And that was the signal for the covering fire, 16 Platoon opening up with everything they had, in an effort to keep the German’s heads down.
Mackell began a crawl, still circling around, the men, all on their bellies, following. Closer to the Germans rear now, they formed up, lying in an extended row, below a shallow ridge of rock. The German’s were worried, but the covering fire was mostly doing its work. Mackell spoke to the men, readying them for a final charge, and then the covering fire stopped. “That’s it boys, charge” the seven men rose stepping over the rocky ridge, and onward towards the shell holes, earth scraps and natural cover behind which the Germans lay. Pins out, grenades flew forward, a couple each, and then holding the rifle with two hands they charged forward.
A grenade exploded, knocking Private Grant off his feet, the shrapnel wounding Corporal Edmondson in the neck and stomach. Both men scrambled onto their feet and continued the charge. A German fired at machine gun at them, but couldn’t fully traverse it round. He let go and stood up, pulling out a luger, firing it at Grant. The bullets went wild, Grant’s bayonet didn’t, the German falling back into his hole. Mackell was well in front, another machine gun post, a German rose up to his right, he swung the butt of his rifle round, knocking the German down, a second rose, and Mackell stuck his bayonet into him, stabbing through the ribs. The blade wedged in, not coming loose, the German grabbed him around the legs holding him close.
Edmondson, bloodied, was closing, as a third German climbed out the hole, the Aussie’s bayonet taking him in the throat. The first German was up now, climbing onto Mackell back, hands around his throat, throttling him. Two lunges with the bayonet by Edmondson dropped him off, and then he finished off the third German, freeing Mackell. The attack on their rear, with grenades and a terrifying battle cry, did for the remaining Germans, who fled, leaving over a dozen dead, and one prisoner. Their job done, the seven Australians and their prisoner returned to the strongpoint, Grant wondering how they had all survived the mad attack. But they didn’t, as early morning, Edmondson, passed away as a result of his wounds.
The siege of Tobruk began on the 11th of April, and it had been assumed by the German staff that the shipping observed over several nights was evacuating the Tobruk garrison, and consequently, a quick sharp attack could bag the remainder. However, probes by the 5th Panzer Regt had been firmly met by the Australian 20th Brigade, and so a night attack was called for. The attack began after dark on the evening of the 13th, against the Australian 2/17 battalion sector.
Troops of the German 8th MG Battalion, accompanied by engineers began infiltrating the wire at a number of points, with the aim of providing crossing points across the anti-tank ditch, and forming bridgeheads from which 5th Panzer Regt would attack, pushing one column north to the harbour, and a second one west to cut off any escape. The machine gunners didn’t find it easy, and in the small unit actions during the night, Corporal John Edmundson illustrated the Australians desire to hold their ground, winning a VC posthumously, helping repel one probing attack.
However, despite those valiant efforts, a crossing was made, and 5th Panzer advanced, still under cover of the night, and had crossed, formed up, and begun their attacks, initially progressing well. Then daylight broke, and British artillery, often firing over open sights, along with dug in, hull down, cruiser tanks, opened with a storm of fire, began to knock tanks out. Because the Australian infantry had doggedly held their positions, 8th MG Battalion was unable to move forward and support the tanks. With losses mounting, the attack was called off, the Germans somewhat stunned by the ferocity of the defence, and their own losses, both Lt Col Gustav Ponath, commander of 8th MG Battalion, killed, and 75% of the battalion casualties, this in addition of losing Generalmajor Heinrich von Prittwitz, commander of 15th Panzer Division, earlier, who had been sent forward by Rommel to command the ad hoc collection of German units around Tobruk.
The arrival of Rommel, along with the leading units of the Afrika Korps, transformed the fortunes of the Axis Powers in the North African theatre, his energy, daring use of motorised troops in very mobile fluid actions devastated the British With their best troops sent to Greece, what had been left to garrison Cyrenaica was short on experience, equipment, transport, in need to rest and repair. The British 2nd Armoured Division, abet a shadow of what it should have been, was annihilated, its commander, Maj Gen Michael Gambier-Parry, as well as Lt Gen’s Phillip Neame and Richard O’Conner, captured. The rest of the British forces were routed, and all was lost, except for one factor, Tobruk didn’t fall.
Tobruk had been a useful little port for the Italians, a supply point for their Tenth Army, facing Egypt, and as a consequence, had been fortified. When the British had captured it, they in turn found it useful for supplying their army, and the various camps and facilities used by the Italians, also served the British well too. It became a useful rear area base, and the British, with some considerable foresight, had repaired, improved and extended the Italian defences. Owing to the transport shortages, a number of Australian infantry battalions were based there, to ease supply demands, while part of the 2nd Armoured Division was in refit there, along with a number of Field and AA artillery units.
So, Lt Gen Leslie Morshead, commander of the Australian 9th Division, was told to hold out in Tobruk with what he had, stopping its fall. The consequences were huge, without Tobruk, the Axis forces had a large detour around its perimeter, to continue eastwards to Egypt, they missed having the small port as a resupply point, and an administrative base, and were left with a threat in their rear to their communications. And for now, Tobruk had held!
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