In the late summer of 1942, Rommel’s Afrika Korps stood perilously close to breaking through to Cairo and the Nile, having already taken the fortress of Tobruk. In a desperate effort to halt the Germans and buy time for the Allies, British forces - including the Royal Marines, Royal Navy, the SAS, and the Long Range Desert Group - attempted to storm Tobruk and destroy the Axis port there. The operation failed with terrible losses. Peter C Smith unearths many previously unknown facts and highlights the bravery and endurance of those who participated.