Quote · Fin vs History
Italy’s Greatest Weapon Is Surrender | Monty vs Rommel (Part 2/4)
Where this was said
It Was A Different Time
At 33:47 · chapter starts 32:29
The episode shifts to Operation Crusader (November 1941), launched under General Claude Auchinleck — whom Fin immediately notes was rumoured to be homosexual and was let off with a warning after a relationship with young Indian boys. [1] — Fin Taylor "SAS born from North African frustration: The SAS was formed during the North African campaign out of the frustration of senior British offi…" 42:23 What follows is a long, digressive comedy segment about what it means to live in an era when such things received only a wrist-slap; Charlie interjects with a personal anecdote about being hit on by an Indian man at a Russian spa and defusing the situation by repeatedly calling him 'brother'. The historical thread resumes: Auchinleck is focused on protecting Cairo while Rommel dashes through, and out of this frustration the SAS is born — senior officers tired of being on the back foot seek an unconventional solution. The segment also covers the grim realities of desert warfare: flies, sand, snakes, freezing nights after burning-hot days, and the difficulty of keeping a multinational imperial force coordinated. Horatio wonders aloud which WWII theatre had the worst conditions.
Australian troops, known as the Rats of Tobruk, held the besieged port of Tobruk for 241 days under constant bombardment, fighting at night and hiding underground during the day.
The strategic port of Tobruk changed hands three times during the North African campaign in World War II.
