HURRICANES OVER TOBRUK – THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF THE HURRICANES IN THE DEFENCE OF TOBRUK, JANUARY-JUNE 1941

At the beginning of 1941 the strategically vital port of Tobruk and its allied garrison was under siege from Rommel’s troops and the Luftwaffe and Italian Regia Aeronautica. The only air defence standing in the way comprised a handful of RAF Hurricane pilots supported by their RAAF and SAAF colleagues.

Until the last remaining Hurricanes were forced to withdraw from the garrison at the end of April 1941, this gallant band had flown almost daily against overwhelming odds while Rommel’s troops attempted to penetrate the garrison’s defences, defended mainly by unyielding Australian forces.

It was a life and death struggle, a desperate period in which the name of Tobruk made world headlines. Whoever controlled Tobruk controlled the central Mediterranean. The squadrons involved in this titanic struggle were 73, 6 and 274 of the RAF, 3 RAAF and 1 SAAF, with 73 Squadron bearing the brunt of the Messerschmitts arrived. action until forced to evacuate when the German

There were many unsung heroes from these squadrons – survivors like Peter Wykeham-Barnes, ‘Ginger’ Murray, Mike Beytagh, ‘Jas’ Storrar, Dickie Martin, Geoff Garton, ‘Monty’ Ellis, Fred Marshall, and the two Frenchmen, James Denis and Albert Littolf and many, many more; and there were those who paid the supreme sacrifice like ‘Smudger’ Smith, ‘Benny’ Goodman, ‘Tiny’ Millist, ‘Kiwi’ Lamb, Pete Haldenby, John Elsworth, Bill Wills, and ‘Webby’ Webster. Hurricanes over Tobruk is their story, and also that of the gallant Australians of 3 RAAF Squadron who supported them – men like John Jackson, Alan Rawlinson, Peter Jeffrey, Wilf Arthur, ‘Jock’ Perrin, to name but a few.

By carefully studying records, logbooks and diaries, including much new material from Italian and German records, Brian Cull and Don Minterne have written an extremely well-researched action-packed account of these months and these men, which is a fitting tribute to their magnificent contribution to the war.

Next in the series will be Spitfires over Sicily by Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia and Frederick Galea.

BRIAN CULL has devoted many years to intensive military aviation research and has co-authored a number of important and highly acclaimed books including Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41, Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, Bloody Shambles Vols. 1 and 2, and more recently Spitfires over Israel and its sequel Wings over Suez, in addition to Twelve Days in May, 249 at War, and The Desert Hawks. This latest work is the first of a new series. Brian lives with Val in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the county of his birth.

DON MINTERNE was a grammar school boy at the start of World War II, and became an enthusiastic member of the ATC and Observer Corps. Just too young to achieve his ambition to be a wartime pilot, he opted instead for a 5-year apprenticeship in aeronautical engineering at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and on its completion joined the scientific staff there, remaining with the Ministry (DERA as it is today) until he retired in 1987. In the course of this, he acquired many hundreds of hours of observer flying, plus pilot experience. He is at present writing a history of 73(F) Squadron.