Tobruk 1942.

This is coolbert:

From the era of the Second World War [WW2] also this instance of British defeat.

Tobruk, 1942.

"the Tobruk garrison. In addition to the division's two South African brigades . . . also had 201st Guards (Motorised), 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, 32nd Army Tank and 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigades under command.[51] Tobruk had previously withstood a siege of nine months before being relieved . . . in December 1941"

That entire British garrison having "withstood a siege of nine months" subsequently a surrender en masse of thirty thousand troops occurring.

". . . on 21 June 1942, in circumstances that even with the benefit of a subsequent formal court of enquiry remain obscure and contradictory, 35,000 Allied troops (including the entire South African 2nd Division) surrendered to General Enea Navarrini's 30,000 [Italian] troops."

Churchill himself having taken particular note of this disaster, "thirty thousand SEASONED troops surrendering to an enemy contingent only HALF their number".

That enemy contingent of "only HALF their number" questionable.

Surrender to the Italians too most humiliating!

Think too not necessarily that garrison strictly of Englishmen. Units from all areas of the British Empire. NOT strictly Englishmen. Tobruk the surrender of which considered to be the worst defeat in the history of the South African military!

Nine months of siege and then inexplicably the whole defense falls apart? And for this no reasonable explanation can be given or was understood?

I suppose that those Italians bolstered by the presence of the Afrika Korps? Of this I am unsure.

coolbert.