Changes

==Battle of the Salient==

==Battle of the Salient==

Then came the turn of 9th Platoon's dug-in strongpoints R.0 and R.1. After a fight in which three were killed and four wounded, the defenders surrendered. The crews of two Royal Horse Artillery 2-pounders put up a fight, knocking out some of the tanks, but when the guns tried to turn to engage tanks moving to their flank, they exposed themselves to German machine-gunners, with the gunners either killed or wounded. The bunkered platoons from the neighbouring C Company , 2/24th Battalion were also attacked. Strongpoint S.5 was captured at first light on 1 May, but strongpoint S.4 (Corporal Rod Deering) and S.6 (Captain Lin Canty<ref>"With German tanks and infantry attacking, and ammunition almost exhausted, Captain Canty surrendered the post about 9 a.m. Of 26 men, C.S.M. Neil Wyte recorded Corporal Duncan, Privates G. Vains, L. H. Brown, Welsh and Crick-killed in action; eight men missing; and Captain Canty, Lieutenant Kelly, W.O.2 Wyte and Private C. W. Woodhouse wounded." (The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 74, Jacaranda Press, 1963)</ref>) held out grimly until the morning. Strongpoint S.7 (Corporal Thomson) stubbornly resisted, inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking Italians, before the attackers were able to throw in grenades. Attacks by Italian infantry, on strongpoints S.8, S.9 and S.10 were repelled. Nevertheless, C Company suffered 20 men killed and wounded, and another 44 taken prisoner in the fighting in the northern sector that involved troops from the ''Brescia'' Infantry Division.

 

Then came the turn of 9th Platoon's dug-in along strongpoints R.0 and R.1. After a fight in which three were killed and four wounded, the defenders surrendered. The crews of two Royal Horse Artillery 2-pounders put up a fight, knocking out some of the panzers, but when the guns tried to turn to engage tanks moving to their flank, they exposed themselves to German machine-gunners, with the gunners either killed or wounded. The bunkered platoons from the neighbouring C Company , 2/24th Battalion were also attacked. Strongpoint S.5 was captured at first light on 1 May, but strongpoint S.4 (Corporal Rod Deering) and S.6 (Captain Lin Canty<ref>"With German tanks and infantry attacking, and ammunition almost exhausted, Captain Canty surrendered the post about 9 a.m. Of 26 men, C.S.M. Neil Wyte recorded Corporal Duncan, Privates G. Vains, L. H. Brown, Welsh and Crick-killed in action; eight men missing; and Captain Canty, Lieutenant Kelly, W.O.2 Wyte and Private C. W. Woodhouse wounded." (The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 74, Jacaranda Press, 1963)</ref>) held out grimly until the morning. Strongpoint S.7 (Corporal Thomson) stubbornly resisted, inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking Italians, before the attackers were able to throw in grenades. Attacks by Italian infantry, on strongpoints S.8, S.9 and S.10 were repelled. Nevertheless, C Company suffered 20 men killed and wounded, and another 44 taken prisoner in the fighting in the northern sector that largely involved troops from the ''Brescia'' Infantry Division.

The attack in the southern sector also involved Italian troops and Lieutenant John Mair's 16th Platoon, D Company, defending strongpoints R.2 and R.3 and R.4<ref>"Posts R2, R3 and R4 were occupied by Lieutenant John Mair's 16 Platoon." The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 78, Jacaranda Press, 1963</ref>were overrun by the Italians.<ref> "La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." (Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015)</ref>According to an Australian defender, ''"That night the slightest move would bring a flare over our position and the area would be lit like day. We passed a night of merry hell as the pounding went on."'' Italian infantry were then able to close in, and grenades were thrown into the bunkers. Nevertheless, strongpoints R.5 (Sergeant Gordon Poidevin<ref>"Sergeant Gordon Poidevin's 16 Platoon was split between Posts R5 and R7, both forward on the perimeter wire." The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 78, Jacaranda Press, 1963</ref>), R.6 (Captain Arthur Bird) and R.7 (Corporal K. S. Jones)<ref>"During the night desultory shell fire and occasional small-arms fire was heard. Morning of 2 May was very quiet but enemy tanks were observed lying in and around posts. Good deal of enemy infantry "movement and a party of Australians (these were Corporal Jones and his men from R7) wree seen to be marched off as prisoners."." The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 84, Jacaranda Press, 1963</ref>were taken only after stubborn resistance, and fought on until they had run out of ammunition or had grenades tossed into the firing pits. After they had been taken prisoner, General Rommel spoke to them ''"for you the war is over and I wish you good luck"'', recalled Corporal Jones

The attack in the southern sector also involved Italian troops and Lieutenant John Mair's 16th Platoon, D Company, defending strongpoints R.2 and R.3 and R.4<ref>"Posts R2, R3 and R4 were occupied by Lieutenant John Mair's 16 Platoon." The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 78, Jacaranda Press, 1963</ref>were overrun by the Italians.<ref> "La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." (Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015)</ref>According to an Australian defender, ''"That night the slightest move would bring a flare over our position and the area would be lit like day. We passed a night of merry hell as the pounding went on."'' Italian infantry were then able to close in, and grenades were thrown into the bunkers. Nevertheless, strongpoints R.5 (Sergeant Gordon Poidevin<ref>"Sergeant Gordon Poidevin's 16 Platoon was split between Posts R5 and R7, both forward on the perimeter wire." The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 78, Jacaranda Press, 1963</ref>), R.6 (Captain Arthur Bird) and R.7 (Corporal K. S. Jones)<ref>"During the night desultory shell fire and occasional small-arms fire was heard. Morning of 2 May was very quiet but enemy tanks were observed lying in and around posts. Good deal of enemy infantry "movement and a party of Australians (these were Corporal Jones and his men from R7) wree seen to be marched off as prisoners."." The Second Twenty-Fourth Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Australian Division: A History, R. P. Serle, 2/24th i.e. Second Twenty-fourth Australian Infantry Battalion Association, p. 84, Jacaranda Press, 1963</ref>were taken only after stubborn resistance, and fought on until they had run out of ammunition or had grenades tossed into the firing pits. After they had been taken prisoner, General Rommel spoke to them ''"for you the war is over and I wish you good luck"'', recalled Corporal Jones