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A U S TRA L I A IN THE WA R OF 1939-1945 SERIES ONE A R MY V OLUM E I I I TOBR UK A ND EL A L A MEIN AU STRA L I A I N THE WAR OF 1 9 3 9 - 1 9 4 5 S E RIES 1 (ARMY) 1. To Benghazi. By Gavin Long. II. Greece, Crete and Syria. By Gavin Long. III. Tobruk and El Alamein. By Barton Maughan. IV. The Japanese Thrust. By Lionel Wigmore. V. South-West Pacific Area-First Year. By Dudley McCarthy. VI. The New Guinea Offensives. By David Dexter. VII. The Final Campaigns. By Gavin Long. S E RIES 2 (NAVY) I. Royal Australian Navy, 1939-42. By G. Hermon Gill. II. Royal Australian Navy, 1 942-45. By G. Hermon Gill.* S E RIES 3 (AIR) I. Royal Australian Air Force, 1939-42. By Douglas Gillison. II. Air War Against Japan, 1 943-45. By George Odgers. III. Air War Against Germany and Italy, 1939-43. By John Herington. IV. Air Power Over Europe, 1944-45. By John Herington. S E RIES 4 (CIVIL) I. The Government and the People, 1939-4 1 . By Paul Hasluck. II. The Government and the People, 1 942-45. By Paul Hasluck.* III. War Economy, 1939-42. By S. J. ButZin. IV. War Economy, 1942-45. By S. J. ButZin.* V. The Role of Science and Industry. By D. P. Mellor. S E RIES 5 (MEDICAL) I. Clinical Problems of War. By A llan S. Walker. II. Middle East and Far East. By A llan S. Walker. III. The Island Campaigns. By A llan S. Walker. IV. Medical Services of the R.A.N. and R.A.A.F. By A llan S. Walker and others. * Not yet published. The writers of these volumes have been given full access to official documents, but they and the general editor are alone responsible for the statements and opinions which the volumes contain. TOBRUK AND EL ALAMEIN by BARTON MAUGHAN CANBERRA AUSTRA L I A N W A R MEMORIAL AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAl. STAFF SERVICES First published in 1 966 WHOLLY SET UP, PRINTED AND BOUND IN AUSTRALIA AT THE GRIFFIN PRESS, ADELAIDE. REGISTERED AT THE G.P.O. ADELAIDE FOR TRANSMISSION THROUGH THE POST AS A BOOK. "Poor souls! to have never known the immortal will That never owns defeat, the heroic deed Whose doing is its only glory still." (C. J. Brennan) CONTENTS Page Preface xv . XIX List of Events Chapter 1 T H E " MI N I M U M P O S S I B L E F O R C E " GU A R D S CYRE NAICA 1 2 D E F E N C E B A S E D O N MOBIL I T Y 24 3 T H E " B E N G H A Z I HAND I C A P " 52 4 AT BAy-THE EA S T E R B A T T L E 111 5 STRIKING 159 6 AS S A U L T WI T H S T OOD 195 7 MID S U M M E R IN THE F O R T R E S S 236 8 LAST C O U N T E R - A T T A C K A N D A C O N T RO V E R S I A L RE L I E F 305 9 PA R T I N G S H O T S AND FA R E W E L L S A L U T E S 384 10 ED DUDA 418 11 IN P A L E S T I N E, S Y R I A A N D THE L E B A N ON 514 12 A T E L A L A M E I N UND E R AUC H I N L E C K . 542 13 ALAM 14 LAUNCHING T H E B A T T L E 639 15 THE DOG FIG H T . 677 BACK • EL H A L F A A N D " B U L I M B A " . 603 Ap P E ND I X E S: 1 Prisoners of the Germans and Italians 755 2 The Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli Railway 823 3 Abbreviations 830 INDEX 833 • vii ILLU S TRAT I O N S Page Benghazi Harbour 76 Headquarters 26th Brigade area, 4th April 1941 76 Tobruk port and town, April 1941 . 77 Major-General L. J. Morshead and his senior