This Day in African History -- British Forces Retake Tobruk

On 13 November 1942 Tobruk changed hands for the last time in World War II's North African campaign -- but Montgommery's quarry, Rommel, is nowhere to be found. The port, which was captured by Rommel's forces back in June, is just a smoking shell: the harbor more or less unusable and its installations mostly destroyed.

Meanwhile in Tunisia, following the start of Operation TORCH, fresh German troops under the command of General Walter Nehring are being landed. It is a start of a race between Anderson's First Army moving up through Algeria and the 5th Panzer Army which is arriving by ship and plane.