Permanent historical factsheet

Siege of Tobruk

Great Britain · Warfare / World War, 2nd. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.

7Records
1940–1942Date range
5Named people
3Places

Chronological records

1940

Archibald Wavell Wavell, 1st9 December 1940

Tobruk · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Opens a counter-offensive threatening Tripoli, captital of fascist north Africa

1941

Archibald Wavell22 January 1941

Tobruk · Warfare / World War, 2nd

The British capture the port of Tobruk in Libya from the Italians

Archibald Wavell17 June 1941

Halfaya Pass · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Wavell attempts a counter-attack but his troops are stopped

Claude John Eyre Auchinleck2 September 1941

Tobruk · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Charged with carrying out operation Crusader to relieve Tobruk & re-capture Cyrenaica

Claude John Eyre Auchinleck4 December 1941

Tobruk · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Erwin Rommel is forced to abandon his siege of Tobruk

1942

Stafford CrippsJanuary 1942

Cairo · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Sent by Churchill to persuade Auchinleck to capture Cyrenaica but Cripps fails

Neil RitchieJanuary 1942

Tobruk · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Rommel drives the Eighth Army back to Gazala, only 25 miles outside Tobruk

Names involved

Archibald WavellArchibald Wavell Wavell, 1stClaude John Eyre AuchinleckNeil RitchieStafford Cripps

Provenance

This factsheet is generated from stored World History Database records matching the country, broad category, detailed category and exact Event value shown above. Duplicate display records are collapsed; database wording is otherwise preserved. Source provenance varies by record, so formal academic citation should be checked against the relevant primary source, archive or specialist historical reference.