85 Years On – Remembering the Siege of Tobruk – One Day Conference

‘The troops at Tobruk are caught like rats in a trap, would live like rats and die like rats.’ (Nazi propagandist Lord Haw Haw 1941)

To the thousands of Allied soldiers trapped in the Libyan coastal city of Tobruk in early 1941, this derogatory broadcast stirred a feeling of defiance deep within them, and soon the Australians christened themselves ‘The Rats of Tobruk.’

For 242 days from 10 April to 7 December 1941, these Allied forces successfully held a vital deep-water port against the German and Italian armies, thereby preventing a Nazi advance toward Egypt and the Suez Canal. The backbone of the defence was the 9^th Australian Division and the 18^th Brigade, as well as units from Great Britain, India, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Ships from the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy co-operated with aircraft from the RAF and RAAF, to keep supply routes and air defences open. Meanwhile, the Allied land forces faced concerted attacks from the German Afrika Corps and from Axis air and naval forces.

2026 marks the 85^th Anniversary of the Siege and with no surviving participants still alive, a new generation is taking the opportunity to re-examine the Siege at a One-Day Conference jointly sponsored by Military History and Heritage Victoria (MHHV) and the Rats of Tobruk Association. High profile speakers and subject experts will review key aspects of the Siege, and in a panel discussion seek to answer the key question of why the seemingly superior Axis forces were unsuccessful in recapturing Tobruk.

The Conference is to be staged on Saturday 14 November at the Headquarters of the Rats of Tobruk Association in Melbourne. In addition to many relics and artefacts of the Siege on show in the Hall, the venue is complemented by a Special Display created to mark the 85^th Anniversary.

85 Years On – Remembering the Siege of Tobruk is the 18^th One Day Conference staged by MHHV since 2010 and is one not to be missed.

Members of the RATS OF TOBRUK ASSOCIATION should register for the conference directly with the Rats of Tobruk Association Melbourne.

Tickets

All in person conference tickets include a Free Parking Pass. (Parking permit will be emailed to ticket holders 11November 2026)

MHHV Members – $75.00

NON MEMBERS – $100.00

Concession Card holders – $75.00

Online Full Day via zoom – $50.00 (Conference live link will be emailed 13th November)

Members of the RATS OF TOBRUK ASSOCIATION should register for the conference directly with the Rats of Tobruk Association Melbourne.