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146th out of 554 books
—
641 voters
Tobruk
"Tobruk" narrates the taking of Tobruk as part of a general thrust in North Africa by Allied forces. A panicked Winston Churchill wrote: "Tobruk seems to be the place to be held to the death without thought of retirement...nothing must hamper the capture of Tobruk". In the dark heart of World War II, when Hitler turned his attentions to conquering North Africa, a distracte...more
Hardcover, 580 pages
Published
January 28th 2006
by HarperCollins
(first published January 2006)
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Band of Blokes...
I am looking for an audio book on the North African campaign of ww2, and this is the only one I can find on Audible. I thought it will be a brief history on the battles around the city of Tobruk, but alas it turns out to be FAR more than that.
Because part of the garrison of Tobruk are Australians, the author decided to use this as a vehicle to write his "our boys in the war" type of book. Like Ambrose's Band of Brothers. it traces specific participants of the battle (mostly Auss...more
I am looking for an audio book on the North African campaign of ww2, and this is the only one I can find on Audible. I thought it will be a brief history on the battles around the city of Tobruk, but alas it turns out to be FAR more than that.
Because part of the garrison of Tobruk are Australians, the author decided to use this as a vehicle to write his "our boys in the war" type of book. Like Ambrose's Band of Brothers. it traces specific participants of the battle (mostly Auss...more
I was hoping this book would provide some insight into the experiences my Grandfather had as a Rat of Tobruk.
Overall, it was an excellent book - well researched and provided a great depth of information on the operations in North Africa during WWII. My only disappointment was that the book only focuses on a few of the battalions that were at Tobruk, it would have been great if all of them had been researched, although I understand that this would have been a huge undertaking for the author and h...more
Overall, it was an excellent book - well researched and provided a great depth of information on the operations in North Africa during WWII. My only disappointment was that the book only focuses on a few of the battalions that were at Tobruk, it would have been great if all of them had been researched, although I understand that this would have been a huge undertaking for the author and h...more
I would have read dozens of books on the topic of the Second World War, mostly popular histories like this one or the biographies of former participants. I rate Peter Fitzsimons’ Tobruk as the worst I have read mostly because it reads like a rugby tour sports memoir where the Aussies are playing away matches against the Italians and Afrika Korps in North Africa and the middle east.
It seemed as though Fitzsimons was aiming for a story telling narrative with Tobruk similar to that of Stephen E. A...more
It seemed as though Fitzsimons was aiming for a story telling narrative with Tobruk similar to that of Stephen E. A...more
Having had a grandfather in the Ninth division, on of the "Rats of Tobruk", I was keen to pick this up as soon as I heard ex-rugby bloke and journo Fitzsimmons was working on it.
The book covers the lead into the war in North Africa and predominately the first seige of Tobruk - before the Australian's were withdrawn to the Pacific. Being a siege its a story of stubbornness rather than epic clashes of fire and fury. I found the most interesting parts to be regarding the command of Morsehead, the g...more
The book covers the lead into the war in North Africa and predominately the first seige of Tobruk - before the Australian's were withdrawn to the Pacific. Being a siege its a story of stubbornness rather than epic clashes of fire and fury. I found the most interesting parts to be regarding the command of Morsehead, the g...more
May 31, 2012
Katrina
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
War Story Fans
Shelves:
adult,
non-fiction
While I found this book to be very informative and well written, it didn't really pull me in. FitzSimons is a great writer and this is one of the best non-fiction war histories I've read--but non-fiction war stories just aren't for me. I'm really glad I listened to this though because Humphrey Bower is an amazing narrator, especially with Aussie characters, and that definitely kept me more engaged than I would have been otherwise.
This book was so wrapped up in giving the perspective of the "boys on the ground" that it often failed to give the big picture. I think the Australians performed marvelously at Tobruk but I got tired of the "rah, rah, Assie" stuff.
Tobruk Peter Fitzsimmons Historical through many eyes B+ Story of The Rats of Tobruk
FitzSimons has the knack of telling his tales through the eyes of the true characters which puts the reader in the picture.
FitzSimons has the knack of telling his tales through the eyes of the true characters which puts the reader in the picture.
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I had no idea of Australia's involvement in in WW2 Africa and Europe. The personal stories of the free spirit of the troops and their courage and strength was an inspiration to read. A great listen.
A MUST read for all Australians. Fascinating, heartbreaking, uplifting, incredibly informative and well researched. I cannot recommend this book enough!!!
Aug 03, 2011
Paul Dodd
added it
I enjoyed the book - certainly an easy read. A little unlike most war or battle histories in its use of the Australian vernacular of the time.
Fully indexed. Extensive glossary and updated bibliography. 833 illustrations, including 105 in full color.
Hardcover, 704 pages
Published March 1st 1987
Hardcover, 704 pages
Published March 1st 1987
Really a fine work. The lot of the everyday soldier often gets lost in the overwhelming significance of history, but this book goes a long way to illuminate the experiences of many who survived and many that did not.
A must read! He writes historical fact filled in with a bit of poetic licence better than anyone else I've read.
4 stars, mainly because the source material is so phenomenal, rather than FitzSimons' writing
A compelling (but not too heavy) read about the Australians in Tobruk. Historical research is amazing with personal stories from both stories as well as home. Fitzsimons describes the horror, mateship and human spirit really well with a sprinkling of humour throughout. I feel really well informed on the events of Tobruk now.
Australian version of the battle. Too centered on the brave australian lads with their wits, good spirit and courage against terrible odds. Too much one-sided for my liking, not providing a good overview of the battle from both sides. Good entertaining reading tough.
I liked Kokoda, so I should like this, but it was a bit disappointing. I had a couple of uncles at Kokoda and the book did (eventually) tell me something about what it may have bee like, but it was pretty heavy-handed and over-written at times too.
It took awhile to become used to the writing style (it being quite casual and colloquial in places), but once I did, I found it easy to read, engaging and enjoyable. Very easy to pick back up and sink back into without needing to re-orientate.
Like the author's style on this interesting piece of WWII history
May 11, 2013
Carmel
added it
May 04, 2013
Ben
marked it as to-read
Apr 28, 2013
Craig Williams
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Apr 28, 2013
Shane Asper
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Peter FitzSimons is one of Australia’s most prominent and successful media and publishing identities. His busy professional life involves co-hosting the breakfast program on Sydney's Radio 2UE, writing weekly columns for the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald newspapers, appearing on Foxtel's Back Page television show and, when time permits, authoring best-selling books. A correspondent for Lond...more
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