2011 Famous Battles in Australian History - Tobruk 1941 $1 1oz Silver Coin

2011 Famous Battles in Australian History - Tobruk 1941 $1 1oz Silver Coin

The Battle of Tobruk was a lengthy confrontation between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War.

The siege started on 11 April 1941, when Tobruk was attacked by an Italian-German force under Lieutenant General Rommel and continued for 240 days.

The siege was only a couple of months old when the renegade Lord Haw Haw, broadcasting from Berlin, said the Allies were "caught like rats in a trap". The Allied soldiers accepted the title with alacrity and became the renowned ‘Rats of Tobruk’.

The blockade continued for eight months, during which the men endured intense bombing raids, entombed in their desert fortress. However, the Allies held their ground and defied the seemingly unstoppable blitzkrieg war of the Germans.

• Finish : Proof
• Metal : 99.9% Pure Silver
• Weight : 31.135 grams
• Diameter : 45.60mm
• Mintage : 5,000