25 Motorised Division Bologna - Siege of Tobruk

Siege of Tobruk

The sector manned by the Bologna Division on the Tobruk perimeter consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery units, all surrounded by minefields. On 21 November 1941, the Bologna repulsed a British attempt to approach their positions as part of Operation Crusader. That morning, the division was attacked by British forces (2nd/King’s Own, 2nd/Black Watch, 2nd/Queen’s and 4th RTR with Matilda tanks) and the attackers overran part of the Bologna, but the attacks were largely defeated by the division with the help of German 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion the Black Watch in the attack, the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War wrote that "The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure." On 23 November, the Bologna Division again withstood a determined attack from Tobruk aimed at penetrating into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and bought sufficient time to allow the Pavia Division to mount a counter-attack and defeat the British assault, as a German narrative recorded:

"After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough."

The Bologna's front now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25, the division was assaulted by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German Böttcher Group had inflicted severe losses on the British tanks. The British advance was halted by the timely arrival of reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the Trieste Division.

The Bologna's defenders were gradually pushed back to the "Leopard strongpoint", covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among British commanders.

Despite the German 90th Light Division pulling out of the Tobruk sector on 4 December, the Bologna Division held out until the night of 8-9 December when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support.

However, it was to take a further assault led by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK), supported by tanks and artillery, before the siege of Tobruk was finally lifted on the morning of December 10.