ORBAT Tobruk Fortress April 1941

Tobruk Fortress
Order of Battle, 14 April 1941
*Source: AIF (Middle East). Military History and Information Section. Active Service: With Australia in the Middle East (Canberra: The Book of Management of the Australian War Memorial, 1941).

HQ 9th Aust Div & Tobruk Fortress
9th Aust Div Intelligence Sec

HQ 3d Armored Bde (60 x tanks working; another 26 tanks in repair)

3d Hussars/5 the Royal Tanks (Det 4 x light tanks and 18 x cruisers)
1st Royal Tank Regt (Det 15 x light tanks and 19 x cruisers)
1st Kings Dragoon Guards (30 x armored cars)
4th Royal Tank Regt (Troop of 4 x infantry tanks)
18th Cavalry Regt (Indian)

HQ Royal Horse Artillery

1st RHA Regt (16 x 25-pounders)
3d RHA (minus one btry) (16 x 2-pounder antitank guns)
104th RHA Regt (16 x 25-pounders)
107th RHA Regt (16 x 25-pounders)
51st Field Regt (12 x 18-pounders and 12 x 4.5 inch how)
2-3d Aust Antitank Regt (Unk no., type, Bofors
(minus one btry) 37-mm; Breda 47/32-mm; 2-pounders)

HQ Royal Australian Engineers

2-3d Aust Field Company
2-7th Aust Field Company
2-13th Aust Field Company
2-4th Aust Field Company
2-4th Aust Field Park Company
2-1st Aust Pioneer Battalion
Signals 9th Aust Div

HQ 18th Aust Inf Bde

Sig Sec
16th Aust Antitank Company
2-9th Aust Inf Bn
2-10th Aust Inf Bn
2-12th Aust Inf Bn

HQ 20th Aust Inf Bde

Sig Sec
20th Aust Antitank Company
2-13th Aust Inf Bn
2-15th Aust Inf Bn
2-17th Aust Inf Bn

HQ 24th Aust Inf Bde (-) (2-25th Inf Bn still in Australia)

Sig Sec
24th Aust Antitank Co
2-28th Aust Inf Bn
2-43d Aust Inf Bn

HQ 26th Aust Inf Bde

Sig Sec
26th Aust Antitank Co
2-23d Aust Inf Bn
2-24th Aust Inf Bn
2-48th Aust Inf Bn
1 Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine Gun Bn)

HQ Aust Army Service Corps (AASC)

9th Aust Div Supply Column
9th Aust Div Ammunition Co
9th Aust Div Petroleum Co
Composite Co AASC
7th Aust Div Supply Column
2-3d Aust Field Ambulance Co
2-8th Aust Field Ambulance Co
2-11th Aust Field Ambulance Co
2-5th Aust Field Ambulance Co
2-4th Field Hygiene Co
9th Aust Div Provost Co
9th Aust Div Protection Platoon
9th Aust Div Empl Platoon
9th Aust Div Postal Unit
9th Aust Salvage Unit

Fortress Troops

Royal Artillery
HQ 4th Antiaircraft (AA) Bde

13th Light AA Regt
14th Light AA Regt
51st Heavy AA Regt
3d Aust Light AA Regt
Notts Yeomanry (coast defense)

Royal Engineers (under chief royal engineer, 9th Aust Div)

295th Field Co Royal Engineers
551st Tps Co Royal Engineers
4th Field Sqd Royal Engineers
143d Field Park Troops
Signals (under Cdr Signals, 9th Aust Div)

K Base Section
27th Line Maintenance Section

Royal Army Service Corps (RASC)

309th Reserve Motor Co
345th Reserve Motor Co
550th Co
RASC 4th Lt AA Bde
RASC Sec 13th Lt AA Regt
No. 1 Water Tank Co
Medical
16th MAC

Ordnance (Royal Army Ordnance Corps [RAOC])

2d Armored Div Workshops RAOC
Y Army Tank Receiving Section, RAOC 2d Spt Gp Ord Field Park Sec, RAOC
A Sec Ord Field Park AAOC
2-1st AFW AAOC
Det 2-2d AFW AAOC
Tobruk Subarea

HQ Tobruk Subarea

1st Libyan Refugee Bn
2d Libyan Refugee Bn
4th Libyan Refugee Bn

HQ 45th Group

1205th Indian Pioneer Co
1206th Indian Pioneer Co
1207th Indian Pioneer Co
Libyan Work Bn
Army Post Office
H Adv Stationary Depot
Transit Camp
Misc Detachments:
Greek Civilians
POW Cage

 

Cobber,

Hidden deep in that list is the 7th Div Supply Column AASC.

My Father in Law was a member of that unit, along with a Melbourne FC footballer of some renown, Ron Barassi Snr. Unfortunately Ron Barassi was killed on the docks of Tobruk by a poorly dropped mine that missed the harbour.

His son managed to surpass his father, and went on to play and coach with great fame and success.



John.

 

Great stuff OzJohn, my uncle who was a Regular WO1 when war broke out and he was sent to the fortress (after escaping Greece) to act as a liaison officer with the Notts Yeomanry by this time he had been promoted to Captain previously reaching the rank of Lieutenant during initial 1941 battles of Bardia and Tobruk etc. He was crossed trained with Infantry and coastal/Arty.
As for the supply column men, many were used as Infantry to guard the area between the Bardia road and coast, so there is a large chance your father In Law may have been used in this way, and although they may have seen limited combat in this role they definitely did prepare themselves for the probability.

 

Cobber,

You probably know of 2 land-marks in the Fortress, 'Eagle Corner' and the 'Fig Tree'.

My FIL was in that area often and I have since found out that the eagle has gone of course, but the Fig Tree is still well and truly alive and well. The RAP cave at the base is just about full of debris now.

It is in fact a clump of 4 trees and can even be seen via Google Earth, as can the anti tank ditch and the weapons pits.

John.

 

Cobber,

Not sure if you have seen these pics at:-

32.02.00.74N
23.49.59.25.E


The Fig Tree and the RAP cave at the base as it is now.

(special thanks to Kuno Gross at WWTalk)


John.

 

i read a book on tobruk the other day and it listed all that stuff

 

Hi

Im just new to this website. My grandfather was in the 7th Division supply column, 2/6 coy aasc. I have recently received his war diary, very hard to read, and was wondering if anyone could tell me what were their colours or if there are any websites that could help me out.

 

God bless the 9th Division AIF

 

Cronin77 mate go to Australian War Memorial it will give much information through out site. also just google 7th division and you will find what you seek.

 

If you have read the Orbat you would have seen it written that the 24th Brigade only had two Btns with the 25th Btn still in Australia. Between 27th April and 4th May the 2/32nd AIF Btn arrived in Tobruk to take the place of 2/25th who were still being transported to Mid east from Australia and whom then went to 7th Australian division in mid to late May 1941 to eventually fight in Syria. These Btns then stayed with these Divisions till wars end.

 

My father Charles Massa ( Lieutenant in the Free French Forces ) was appointed to one of the Libyan Refugee Bn because he was fluent in arabic . He remained six months in Tobruk , was promoted to captain in the British Army and granted the Africa Star .Afterwards he took part in the Syrian campain in June July 1941.