21 June 1942
The fall of the of the fortress town of Tobruk was a major blow to the Allied forces during World War Two, as the town contained substantial material, supplies and equipment as well as containing substantial number of Allied troops. The fall of this position may be attributed to a combination of poor judgement on the part of the South African commander Major -General H.B Klopper as well as the tactical superior strategies employed by Rommel. Before the fall of Tobruk, Klopper had allowed the defences of the town to deteriorate in that he had neglected to order maintenance of fortified positions, had not requested any aircraft to support the town and had moved important minefields as he reasoned that the Germans would not have much stomach for a protracted siege. By 20 June 1942 the Allied forces entrenched in the coastal town of Tobruk in Libya were under the impression that Rommel, the German commander of the Africa Korps, had bypassed them and linked up with the main body of the Africa Korps in what the Allies considered a drive toward Cairo. Rommel however had under cover of darkness, brought the Africa Korps to bear upon the eastern perimeter (see picture) of the Allied positions. This was done by committing two armoured brigades, supported by infantry, artillery and dive bombers to break through the perimeter. So rapid were the German forces deployed, that by the time the Allied forces could respond, the initial Allied positions were overrun. When German tanks made it to the streets of Tobruk, Klopper ordered a general retreat, before surrendering on the 21 June 1942. Among the units taken prisoner were the Second South African Division that comprised of more than 25 000 men and made up a third of the South African Armed forces. Despite the order to surrender, many units refused to obey and fought their way out before their positions were overrun or they ran out of ammunition. Among these were the second and seventh Ghurkha Rifles and the second Cameron Highlanders. The fall of Tobruk was one of the low points in the Allied campaign in North Africa.