The fall of Tobruk June 1942.
On June 21th-1942, General Erwin Rommel turns his assault on the British-Allied garrison at Tobruk, Libya, into victory, as his panzer division occupies the North African port.
Britain had established control of Tobruk after routing the Italians in 1940. But the Germans attempted to win it back by reinforcing Italian troops with the Afrika Korps 
of Erwin Rommel, who continually charged the British Eighth Army 
under command of General Claude Auchinleck in battles around Tobruk, finally forcing the Brits to retreat into Egypt. All that was left to take back the port was the garrison now manned by the South African Division, which also included the Eleventh Indian Brigade. With the use of artillery, dive-bombers, and his panzer forces, Rommel pushed past the Allies. 
Unable to resist any longer, South African General Henrik Klopper 
ordered his officers to surrender early on the morning of the 21st. Klopper died age 74 on 30-12-1977. Rommel took more than 33,000 prisoners, 2,000 vehicles, 2,000 tons of fuel, and 5,000 tons of rations.
Erwin Rommel accompanied by Fritz Bayerlein, Chief of Staff, passes ‘Englische Kriegsgefangene’ although a substantial proportion of ‘British’ prisoners of war were from South Africa. Some of the 33,000 British Prisoners of War are marched away from Tobruk.
Adolf Hitler awarded Rommel the field marshal’s baton as reward for his victory. “I am going on to Suez,” was Rommel’s promise.
Erwin Rommel and Fritz Bayerlein survey the harbour at Tobruk, still crowded with bombed out ships that had accumulated in over a year’s fighting.
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