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During the Siege of Tobruk: ~28,000 men |battles= Siege of Tobruk Operation Crusader |battle_honours=Defence of Tobruk Tobruk, 1941 |notable_commanders=Ronald Scobie }} The 70th Infantry Division of the British Army fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. On 10 October 1941, the division was created when the 6th Infantry Division was renamed in an attempt to deceive Axis intelligence on the strength of the British military in the Middle East. The Royal Navy transported the division to Tobruk from 19 September to 25 October, in a politically controversial move to relieve the mainly Australian garrison which had been defending the port for almost seven months, since the beginning of the Siege of Tobruk. Under daily aerial and artillery attacks, the division defended the port and conducted nightly offensive patrols against German and Italian positions. On 18 November, the British Eighth Army launched Operation Crusader. The division was tasked with breaking out of Tobruk, following the destruction of the Axis armoured forces. Following unexpected early success, the division began its attacks on 21 November, before the armoured formations of Germans and Italians had been defeated. Heavy fighting soon followed as the division captured several well-defended and dug-in German and Italian strong points. The looming threat of the Axis tanks, however, ended the breakout offensive the following day. Renewed fighting on 26 November saw the division link up with the approaching New Zealand Division, cutting the Axis lines of communication. In response, the Germans launched several counter-attacks to throw back the 70th Division from the territory they had gained. The failure of these attacks had a lasting strategic impact on Operation Crusader; the Axis forces began their retreat and lifted the siege of Tobruk. During this fighting, two men – from units attached to the division – were awarded the Victoria Cross. Following the fighting at Tobruk, the division was withdrawn from the front and placed in reserve. When Japan entered the war, the division was transferred to India. It was considered the most experienced and best trained British formation available in Asia. In India, the division formed a reserve to counter possible Japanese landings while it trained in jungle warfare. It also served as a police force, protecting railways and being used to suppress civil disobedience caused by the Quit India Movement. While it was requested that the division be sent to the front line in Burma, it was instead transferred to Special Force, commonly known as the Chindits. Such a move was opposed by the highest military commanders in India and Burma, and proved controversial with the troops themselves. Despite pleas, the division was broken up and officially ceased to exist on 24 November 1943. Historian Woodburn Kirby and William Slim (who led the British troops in Burma) believe that the division could have had a decisive impact on the fighting had it been retained as a single division and deployed against the Japanese. == Background == 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「70th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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