Tobruk cover art

Tobruk

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Tobruk

By: Peter FitzSimons
Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

In the early days of April 1941, the 14,000 Australian forces garrisoned in the Libyan town of Tobruk were told to expect reinforcements and supplies within eight weeks... Eight months later these heroic, gallant, determined 'Rats of Tobruk' were rescued by the British Navy having held the fort against the might of Rommel's never-before defeated Afrika Corps. Like Gallipoli and Kokoda, the siege of Tobruk is an iconic battle in Australia's military history. Under ceaseless attack from Rommel's men, the Australian defence held strong.

In Tobruk, Peter FitzSimons relates the personal histories and stories not only of the men who defended the garrison against the German onslaught but of the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel, and the powers back in both Berlin and Britain.

©2006 Peter FitzSimons. (P)2007 Bolinda Publishing Military World War Royal Navy Imperialism Royalty Middle ages Holocaust Africa Interwar Period

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Kokoda (by Peter FitzSimons) cover art
Dünkirchen 1940 cover art
Batavia cover art
Victory at Villers-Bretonneux cover art
Mutiny on the Bounty cover art
War, Wine, and Valour cover art
The Generals cover art
First into Action cover art
Indestructible cover art
A Foot Soldier for Patton cover art
The Liberator cover art
Forgotten Voices of the Great War cover art
An Army at Dawn cover art
The Rising Tide cover art
This Kind of War cover art
Citizen Soldiers cover art

Critic reviews

"A thorough, highly-readable distillation of the overlooked Battle of Tobruk." (The Age)
"Gripping stuff." (The Sydney Morning Herald)
"FitzSimons presents the human face of those involved in the long, drawn out defence of Tobruk. An interesting and informative read." (aussiereviews.com)
"Tobruk comes to life in true FitzSimons style, evoking feelings and emotions of that time as well as the facts." (Brisbane News)
"Humphrey Bower succeeds expertly. His Australian accent and his comfort with the informal dialogue capture the tone of the narrative, and his German is completely convincing. It is difficult to imagine a narrator more ideally suited to a text." (AudioFile Magazine)
All stars
Most relevant  
An excellent book. The story jumps about a bit - but the inclusion of stories about individual soldiers brings it to life. A torrid time for so many Brave men. My father served in North Africa at El Alamein and spoke very respectfully of the Aussie soldiers.

Definitely worth a listen (or read)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Absolutely superb. 23 hours long means no stone is left unturned with this, everything is covered in detail from the world Political situation to the action on the frontline. But it never gets boring with plenty of drama and a healthy dose of humour. The Aussie bloke reading it does it good job too.

Absolutely superb.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I don't normally write reviews, however this is up there with Jackson's 'storm of war', Evans 'Third Reich' series, and Lord's 'Miracle of Dunkirk'. It's an excellent book.

Tobruk

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up Tobruk in three words, what would they be?

Informative Humbling Exciting

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tobruk?

The fact that the "Digger" Officers took their shirts off and worked alongside their men when digging the trenches. At one point a crisply turned out English Officer admonished a grubby man in a trench for not saluting him. The "Digger" stopped what he was doing and put on his shirt - the pips showing him to be a Superior Officer. He made the Englishman salute and then told him to "piss off". This was a lighter moment in the book but one which illustrated the attitude of the Australian Offiers toward their men.





















What about Humphrey Bower’s performance did you like?

Humphrey Bower could make the telephone directory sound riviting. He excels in everything he reads. Thank you Mr Bower, I must confess to being a great fan

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Although this is a book of my time, I lived through World War II, I knew very little about the Commonwealth Forces who worked alongside the "Tommies". I felt rather ashamed about this and realised how truly grateful we should be to those men.

Any additional comments?

The book was obviously thoroughly researched and the author is to be congratulated for the way he told the story. A very thought provoking listen.

Fascinating Listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A first rate story well presented I could imagine the hardship of warfare in such an unforgiving environment. I highly recommend this audio book

Torbruk by Peter Fitzsimons

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of the most striking statements in this book concerns the German’s asking Australians what they are doing in North Africa. At a time when Japan was threatening Australia and the war was going badly in the Pacific a large army of Australians where fighting under the British in the desert campaign. Their contribution was vital and their reputation was second to none. This is their story and I would not hesitate to recommend it. It is packed with detail from the soldiers on the ground to the Australian PM travelling to Britain to plead with Churchill to allow Australians to command Australians and to allow troops home to defend their homeland. It is a stark reminder of the power of the Empire that South Africans, New Zealanders and Indians where also there. While their existence and contribution is largely unknown in the UK, it is engrained into the memories of their ancestors as much as the Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain are in the UK. A very well written and narrated story.

Australians in North Africa

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a fascinating work about a really important and gripping campaign. The scholarship is admirable.
The narration is excellent.
The writing style is dreadful; stoked up with cliches and using a conversational style that is like the worst Chips Rafferty script. This could have been a great novel or an outstanding account of a fascinating military campaign. It is neither but worth gritting your teeth to get through all the "their's but to do and die" and "Fair dinkum cobber" clutter to the treasure beyond.

Sublime and Ridiculous.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book was so interesting with personal stories and facts in detail so much learned from listening to this book fantastic

Very good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book, it was extremely factual without being boring!
I would fully recommend it to anyone interested in the Second World War.

Fantastic book a must read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Where does Tobruk rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top five

What other book might you compare Tobruk to, and why?

This is the first WW2 book I have listened to and I will be looking for more
So nothing to compare against at the moment

What about Humphrey Bower’s performance did you like?

The narrative is excellent ,and read with compassion !

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are several very moving sections to the story ,especially when close friends are lost in battle
As an ex soldier myself ,I can feel the pain that is written !

Any additional comments?

A superbly written book and expertly read
Very enjoyable

Superbly written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews