Australian Crusader Tank at El Alamein On 18 November 1941. Operation Crusader, the third, and ultimately successful attempt to relieve the Siege of Tobruk, began. Operation Crusader was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (with Australian, Comonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) against the Axis forces (German and Italian) in North … Continue reading On this day (Australia): In 1941, Operation Crusader, the successful attempt to relieve the Siege of Tobruk, began