(April 23, 2021) This week, 80 years ago, the Siege of Tobruk was entering its third week. Before it was lifted, 241 days would pass. The garrison consisted of soldiers of the 9th Australian Division, together with an Indian cavalry brigade, commanded by Maj. Gen. Leslie Morshead, nicknamed, by his troops, âMing the Merciless.â Soon, the defenders would earn the sobriquet âRats of Tobruk,â courtesy of the traitorous Nazi radio announcer William Joyce, a/k/a âLord Haw-Haw.â Tobruk is in Libya, on the Mediterranean Sea, less than 80 miles from the Egyptian border. ...