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The Rats of Tobruk was the name given to the soldiers of the garrison who held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the German Afrika Corps, during the Siege of Tobruk in WW2

The siege started on 10 April 1941 and was finally relieved at the end of November.

Australian troops of the Australian 9th Division and the 18th Brigade of the Australian 7th Division under Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead made up more than half of the Allied presence in Tobruk with a total strength of over 14,000 men. The rest of the garrison was made up of 12,000 British (the 3rd Armoured Brigade, 4 artillery regiments) and Indian (the 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry) troops.

During the three moonless periods between August and October the Australian troops and Indian cavalry were withdrawn by sea and replaced by British 70th Infantry Division and the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade with the Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion under command.

Libya war graves desecrated. It appears, through video footage, that a mob smashed headstones and a monument in the the British and Commonwealth war cemeteries in the eastern city of Benghazi last month (Update: this video is now a few years old so the desecration of the war graves would now be some time ago).)

The desecration of Commonwealth war graves in Libya and was apparently carried out by Muslim Salafists because of the Koran being burnt at a US military base in Afghanistan.

It is not yet clear if any of the 48 Australian graves in the Benghazi War Cemetery were damaged amongst the nearly 200 headstones reportedly damaged.

1,214 Commonwealth troops were killed in the north African desert battles of WW2 and are interned at the Benghazi War Cemetery.

A quarter of the headstones in the nearby Benghazi British Military Cemetery were also damaged.

USA, British and French air power helped the Benghazi-based rebels overthrow Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Latest report 7th March 2012 - It has been reported that 50 of the 55 Australian graves have been desecrated. 45 marked headstones and 5 headstones of unknown Australian soldiers who were killed in WW2 in Libya were among the 238 graves destroyed by armed Libyans in the Benghazi cemetery.

11 war graves of New Zealand soldiers were also desecrated.

The names of Australian diggers whose graves were damaged will be released.

The Australian Government have stated that the Cross of Sacrifice, the central feature of the Benghazi War Cemetery, would need to be replaced as it appeared to have been the focus of the attack.

It has been report that the former rebels could be heard laughing and cursing the fallen servicemen as they destroyed headstones in the cemetery.

Australia was a major supporter of the rebels during the UN endorsed and NATO lead (mainly the USA, France and Britain) assault on the Libyan Government during the Libyan War and Australia is a major donor to the new Libyan regime that ousted and killed Gaddafi.

Update: In 2024. Libya is still a basket case.

'Can You Hear Australia's Heroes Marching?' Copyright 2001 - 2004. Author Peter Barnes: [ Ссылка ] The song's website: [ Ссылка ]

Australian Diggers - Rats of Tobruk - Lest We Forget

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