"Tobruk" is a big-budget action adventure movie depicting what was actually a small part of a very much larger story. There actually was a raid on Tobruk during September 1942 in which a British unit of German-speaking Jewish refugees took part, known euphemistically as the "SIG" (Special Interrogation Unit). However, the real "Operation Agreement" was a much larger and more elaborate operation, of which the events depicted in this film were only a small part.
A film about the real raid on Tobruk would be of great interest because it was a text-book instance of how NOT to stage such an operation. The real "Operation Agreement" was an unmitigated disaster in which the British lost more than 800 killed and over 500 captured, in exchange for a mere handful of German and Italian casualties. However, none of that was the fault of the men depicted in the film "Tobruk", who carried out their part of the business.
The failure of "Operation Agreement" lay entirely with the people at the top who did the planning. It was a clear demonstration of what happens when a highly complex and many-faceted operation is planned and assembled too quickly, without sufficient preparation, and with too many additional elements added on at the last moment. The whole thing involved too many disparate elements which were thrown together too rapidly, and which had to perform their various actions in different places on schedule and in exact coordination with one another, in order for the whole operation to achieve success. Furthermore, it presupposed that the Germans and Italians would be caught napping, which did not happen.
Some elements, principally the Long Range Desert Group and SAS, performed their allotted missions successfully. However, the main amphibious assault on Tobruk, itself, which involved the coordination of land, sea and air assets, was a disaster.
"Tobruk" makes a pretty good action-adventure film so far as it goes. However, it omits the much bigger, and really much more interesting, picture.
A film about the real raid on Tobruk would be of great interest because it was a text-book instance of how NOT to stage such an operation. The real "Operation Agreement" was an unmitigated disaster in which the British lost more than 800 killed and over 500 captured, in exchange for a mere handful of German and Italian casualties. However, none of that was the fault of the men depicted in the film "Tobruk", who carried out their part of the business.
The failure of "Operation Agreement" lay entirely with the people at the top who did the planning. It was a clear demonstration of what happens when a highly complex and many-faceted operation is planned and assembled too quickly, without sufficient preparation, and with too many additional elements added on at the last moment. The whole thing involved too many disparate elements which were thrown together too rapidly, and which had to perform their various actions in different places on schedule and in exact coordination with one another, in order for the whole operation to achieve success. Furthermore, it presupposed that the Germans and Italians would be caught napping, which did not happen.
Some elements, principally the Long Range Desert Group and SAS, performed their allotted missions successfully. However, the main amphibious assault on Tobruk, itself, which involved the coordination of land, sea and air assets, was a disaster.
"Tobruk" makes a pretty good action-adventure film so far as it goes. However, it omits the much bigger, and really much more interesting, picture.