Atlas of Battles

battle, interwar and Second World War

British capture of Tobruk

British capture of Tobruk was a battle fought on 21 January 1941 at Tobruk, in what is now Libya; it lasted 1 day. It was part of World War II, which ran from 1939 to 1945. The recorded result: Allied victory.

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Fought21 January 1941lasted 1 day
WhereTobruk, Libya32.076N, 23.961E
OutcomeAllied victory
BelligerentsKingdom of ItalyagainstUnited Kingdom; Australia
Part ofWorld War II1939 to 1945

Where it sits in World War II

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313 placed engagements of World War II in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date21 January 1941
to 22 January 1941
PlaceTobruk, Libya
32.076N, 23.961E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
British capture of TobrukBritish capture of TobrukBattle of TobrukSiege of TobrukPoint 175Battle of GazalaSecond Battle of Bir el GubiPoint 175Second Battle of Bir el GubiDarnah100 km32.076N, 23.961E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1911 and 1941.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1941

British capture of Tobruk is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 57 in present-day Libya.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q76643875, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article British capture of Tobruk, revision 1370606341, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.