Erwin rommel, in a letter to his wife, lucie, wrote, today may well see the end of the battle of tobruk. The rats of tobruk simple english wikipedia, the free. Rats of tobruk home tribute is a tribute to the rats of tobruk, who fought in tobruk, during the siege of tobruk, of 241 days from april 10 to december 1941. The powerful story of three soldiers brought together by the fortunes of war, set against a backdrop of the legendary defence of the north african city of tobruk by australian infantry forces during world war ii. May 12, 2012 the famous story of the rats of tobruk and the ships that supplied them in ww2, as told by the rats themselves. This special anniversary exhibition is on display in the memorial until 16 november 2011. Watch rats of tobruk online vimeo on demand on vimeo. The only libyan territory still in british hands was the cyrenaican port of tobruk. Rat of tobruk definition rats of tobruk association. Remembering the rats of tobruk harry ross sutherland, from the 18th brigade of the australian 7th division, recounts his experience while deployed in the libyan port of tobruk in 1941. The australians gave themselves the nickname the rats of tobruk after radio berlin described the australians as caught like rats in a trap.
The rats of tobruk the fighting rats of tobruk 2015. To prepare for that, rommel wasnt receiving the supplies and material he needed. The victorian state branch decided to form a pipe band as a living memorial to the soldiers who died at tobruk and to keep alive the proud name the rats of tobruk. There were also major oil fields in the middle east that were vital to fuel their tanks, planes and motorised transport. Watch the fighting rats of tobruk full free lynn m. An abridged version was released in the united states in 1951 as the fighting rats of tobruk.
The famous story of the rats of tobruk and the ships that supplied them in ww2, as told by the rats themselves. Following on the great tradition of forty thousand horsemen, charles chauvels 1944 cinematic account of the battle of rommel. Very good and entertaining war picture, tobruk is a classic of the genre, but by no means is this an accurate retelling of the famous tobruk battle. Richard burton did a fine hollywood based film, desert rats, about the same siege at tobruk and chips rafferty had a featured role in that. Watch the fighting rats of tobruk full free by lynn m. The film follows three drover friends who enlist in the australian army together during world war ii. No quotes approved yet for fighting rats of tobruk. Tobruk is a 1967 american technicolor drama war film directed by arthur hiller and starring rock hudson and george peppard. Identifying with authority, they obeyed rather than thought. I believe if you want to see just how far directors have progressed from the early days of film making to what we expect today, then this film is worth. Mar 18, 2011 the defenders of tobruk did not surrender, they did not retreat. The goal is to hold tobruk for at least two months. Fully restored and presented in a brand new transfer, the rats of tobruk is a rousing tribute to the many brave the soldiers who served their nation. Watch the fighting rats of tobruk full free youtube.
The defenders of tobruk and their besiegers were at a stalemate. The rats who returned to melbourne formed as association which has branches in every state as well as in the united kingdom. Also they lived in very dirty conditions and were always dirty and muddy like a rat. The siege started on 11 april 1941 and was relieved on 10 december. Most of the fighting scenes were in the dark which did not translate well on my dvd version as the scenes looked totally black.
The rats of tobruk hold an identifiable place within the ranks of returned servicemen, particularly in australia, where there is the rats of tobruk memorial, canberra on 22 march 1944, the original members of the rats of tobruk formed the north bondi subbranch of the returned and services league of australia and it is still known in modern times as tobruk house or the rathouse. The port continued to be held by the allies until its surrender on 21 june 1942. Together they serve in north africa, fighting against the forces of rommel in what has now become one of australias greatest wartime legends the rats of tobruk. It was planned that 70th division would break out from prezi.
The old warships that helped the rats of tobruk with supplies and evacuation of the wounded were insulted by radio berlin, being called a pile of scrap iron. Oct 11, 2011 fighting through incredible heat, cold, thirst and hunger with unmistakable bravery, determination and passion 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the battle of tobruk. Fighting rats of tobruk movie quotes rotten tomatoes. They were called the rats of tobruk as there attitude and the way the australians fought made them live like rats and they scurried around the war collecting food and weapons stealthily which made them seem like rats. Cast grant taylor as bluey donkin peter finch as peter linton chips rafferty as milo trent george wallace as the barber of tobruk pauline garrick as kate carmody mary gay as sister. Its members used all their bushcraft to avoid being discovered. German radio started calling the australians poor desert rats of tobruk, which they took immense pride in, calling themselves the rats of tobruk. The job of the reconnaissance patrol was to gather information and, if possible, to secure prisoners for identification. The 1941 siege of tobruk, birth of the rats of tobruk.
The fighting rats of tobruk 1944 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Information supplied by the family of robert scarr and the. The fighting rats of tobruk is more of a narrated documentry, poorly acted and shot in darkness. May 27, 2017 watch the fighting rats of tobruk full free lynn m. This was an adf pr video extolling the values of the australian defence forces.
Adolf hitler had prepared for war by socially engineering his followers into the perfect fighting machines. The rats of tobruk is a 1944 australian film directed by charles chauvel. The rats of tobruk was the name given to the soldiers who held the libyan port of tobruk against the afrika corps, during the siege of tobruk in world war ii. Fighting rats of tobruk 1951 soldiers chips rafferty, grant taylor, peter finch of the australian and new zealand army corps hold off the nazis for months. Combined german and italian troops had sealed off all land approaches to tobruk on april 11. Tobruk patrols were of two types fighting and reconnaissance. Americanborn british fascist william joyce better known as lord hawhaw took to the airwaves, deriding the defenders as the poor rats of tobruk. Lego wwii north africa siege of tobruk brick fiesta 2018 duration.
Winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. For relief, the australian soldiers get to go sightseeing in down town tobruk or whats left of it. The rats of tobruk were soldiers of the australianled allied garrison that held the libyan port of tobruk against the afrika corps, during the siege of tobruk in world war ii. Three australian friends end up fighting nazis in north africa in a clumsily executed action tale.
The film takes significant liberties with the real events, yet it is an exciting and thrilling war feature with several terrific performances from its cast. Commemorating one of the first major battles that australia fought in world war ii, the rats of tobruk 1941 special exhibition is on display in the canberra memorial until. Their determination, bravery, and humour, combined with the aggressive tactics of their commanders, became a source of inspiration during some of the wars darkest days. The fighting rats of tobruk 1944 dvd grant taylor peter finch. See the full list of the rats of tobruk cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. A lot of the fighting is done at night and it is very difficult to see what is going on because the film has gotten darker over the years. In the context of wartime, the rats of tobruk is certainly meant as a tribute to the exploits and courage of the australian fighting forces, but it falls somewhat short of being a recruiting film. The film was written by leo gordon who also acted in the film and released through universal pictures. The fighting rats of tobruk 1944 the fighting rats of. The battles played out are not very clear and leaves the viewer guessing what really happened. The allies marching and singing were off to see the wizard was neat as was the german announcer naming the allies the fighting rats of tobruk, which was deemed a badge of honor by the allies. Together they serve in north africa, fighting against the forces of rommel in what has now become one of australias greatest wartime legendsthe rats of tobruk. Tells the story of three menbluey, a tough two fisted drover taylor, milo, a laconic dingo trapper rafferty, and pete, an intellectual english new chum finch.
This opened with an outflanking movement that brought eighth army to within 30 miles of the tobruk perimeter. The rats of tobruk controlling north africa would give the allied forces a base from which to attack occupied europe, across the mediterranean. Like stealthy shadows, they saw without being seen. Curators notes the rats of tobruk 1944 on aso australia. Aug 18, 2016 also featuring george wallace and joe valli, chauvels bold tale of war gives life to the many heroic tales of mateship during wwii.