Germans occupy Tobruk - the British Army had few choices - 25,000 prisoners were the result.
June 21, 1942 – News From Tobruk – Considering A Second Front – Allied Raids Over Rabaul.
June 21, 1942 – Sunday News Roundup – NBC – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
June 21, 1942 – It fell on a Sunday that year. But war was the same, no matter what day of the week it was. News from Libya was unsettling – the Axis entered Tobruk – the German and Italian armies had broken through and British forces, with almost no options left, surrendered. Unconfirmed reports said not only Tobruk had been taken but also Bir-el Gobi and Bir-Hakem. There was some doubt earlier in the week whether or not British forces could hold out if there was a full-scale German attack. That the British should send a convoy through the Mediterranean was a good indication that a lack of material had become crucial. The fact that the enemy should occupy a considerable area inside the defenses didn’t look hopeful for British ability to hold the port of Tobruk itself. Sources said the port could be held, but British officials doubted that the port was worth holding. They believed if the British could organize over the coming weeks to mount a counteroffensive, Tobruk might have been worth holding on to. If not, they said the price in men, ships and material would be too great. Questions in London regarding the campaign were sure to be raised over the coming days.
In considering a Second front and other theaters of war, officials and observers agreed that success would depend largely on the cooperation of sympathizers inside Axis-controlled territories. French colonials who would fight British or Americans would very likely join forces with De Gaulle’s Free-French forces as was evidenced by 400 Colonials in Madagascar who had done just that. If Italian speaking Americans were to land in Italy they might raise support for us and harm the Axis.
From the Pacific, Allied bombers were busy attacking Japanese invasion bases on the island of Rabual, causing considerable damage and destroying a number of Japanese fighters and bombers.
And that’s just a sample of what went on, this June 21st in 1942 as reported by the Sunday edition of News Of The World from NBC.
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