Absolutely superb.

Absolutely superb. 23 hours long means no stone is left unturned with this, everything is covered in detail from the world Political situation to the action on the frontline. But it never gets boring with plenty of drama and a healthy dose of humour. The Aussie bloke reading it does it good job too.

7 people found this helpful

Tobruk

I don't normally write reviews, however this is up there with Jackson's 'storm of war', Evans 'Third Reich' series, and Lord's 'Miracle of Dunkirk'. It's an excellent book.

6 people found this helpful

Australians in North Africa

One of the most striking statements in this book concerns the German’s asking Australians what they are doing in North Africa. At a time when Japan was threatening Australia and the war was going badly in the Pacific a large army of Australians where fighting under the British in the desert campaign. Their contribution was vital and their reputation was second to none. This is their story and I would not hesitate to recommend it. It is packed with detail from the soldiers on the ground to the Australian PM travelling to Britain to plead with Churchill to allow Australians to command Australians and to allow troops home to defend their homeland. It is a stark reminder of the power of the Empire that South Africans, New Zealanders and Indians where also there. While their existence and contribution is largely unknown in the UK, it is engrained into the memories of their ancestors as much as the Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain are in the UK. A very well written and narrated story.

5 people found this helpful

Torbruk by Peter Fitzsimons

A first rate story well presented I could imagine the hardship of warfare in such an unforgiving environment. I highly recommend this audio book

4 people found this helpful

Sublime and Ridiculous.

This is a fascinating work about a really important and gripping campaign. The scholarship is admirable.
The narration is excellent.
The writing style is dreadful; stoked up with cliches and using a conversational style that is like the worst Chips Rafferty script. This could have been a great novel or an outstanding account of a fascinating military campaign. It is neither but worth gritting your teeth to get through all the "their's but to do and die" and "Fair dinkum cobber" clutter to the treasure beyond.

1 person found this helpful

Not a history book

This book was not what I expected. Instead of a military history of the battle of Tobruk, I got a book that was a cross between a Commando comic and Spike Milligan's "Hitler My part in his Downfall'. Fitzsimons has gathered together many reminiscences of Australian soldiers in North Africa and stitched those yarns together creating a narrative in the voice of the Diggers themselves, in a way that a novelist would do. I found this quite uncomfortable in places, particularly where he used old fashioned and now offensive racist terms like 'wog' and 'daygo' outside of a direct quote. However he did manage to capture a lot of the flavour of those indefatigable heroes and many of the incidents and phrases made me smile and one or two laugh out loud. I was spoilt for me as I could not tell the difference between what the men had actually said and what Fitzsimons had invented. For instance when he used a brilliant phrase like 'tell the shit creek paddle makers to start carving," I wasn't sure whether this was something one of the soldiers had said or it was something he had written that they might have said. He also repeats generalisations that a proper historian should not. So he tells the story of Gallipoli as a disaster where British officers ordered Australian soldiers to a pointless death but fails to mention that British soldiers far outnumbered the Anazcs in that operation. Perhaps Ive been a bit harsh because Fitzsimons book is very entertaining.

Definitely worth a listen (or read)

An excellent book. The story jumps about a bit - but the inclusion of stories about individual soldiers brings it to life. A torrid time for so many Brave men. My father served in North Africa at El Alamein and spoke very respectfully of the Aussie soldiers.

Fantastic book a must read!

I really enjoyed this book, it was extremely factual without being boring!
I would fully recommend it to anyone interested in the Second World War.

Easy listen history lite account

Is there anything you would change about this book?

More quoting of primary sources needed - much of the book is unattributed. Example writing about thoughts of people who left no written record - pure imagination.

Very pro-aussie stereotyping - Aussies lean mean fighting machines, good hearted kind but tough fighters. Brits Poms public school educated aristocrats and incompetently led.

Bit like the Bradman Jardine caricatures of the bodyline series

Would you recommend Tobruk to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes if a human interest history of tobruk is what your interested

Have you listened to any of Humphrey Bower’s other performances? How does this one compare?

N/A

Could you see Tobruk being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Yes - not sure some aussies

Superbly written

Where does Tobruk rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top five

What other book might you compare Tobruk to, and why?

This is the first WW2 book I have listened to and I will be looking for more
So nothing to compare against at the moment

What about Humphrey Bower’s performance did you like?

The narrative is excellent ,and read with compassion !

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are several very moving sections to the story ,especially when close friends are lost in battle
As an ex soldier myself ,I can feel the pain that is written !

Any additional comments?

A superbly written book and expertly read
Very enjoyable