Tobruk

Tobruk is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.). Tobruk was the site of an ancient Greek colony and, later, of a Roman fortress guarding the frontier of Cyrenaica. Over the centuries, Tobruk also served as a waystation along the coastal caravan route. By 1911, Tobruk had become an Italian military post until World War II, when the Australian 6th Division took Tobruk in January, 1941. Rebuilt after World War II, Tobruk was later expanded during the 1960s to include a port terminal linked by an oil pipeline to the Sarir oil field.

Tobruk in The War That Came Early
By the Fall of 1941, Tobruk was the site of the largest Italian military base in eastern Libya. After Italy failed to take Egypt from Britain, British forces pursued, intending to take Tobruk. However, the plan for taking Tobruk was thwarted by the intervention of the German Luftwaffe.