Invasion of Italian East Africa

Invasion of Italian East Africa

19 Jan 1941 - 16 May 1941

ww2dbaseIn East Africa, the earlier picture of conquering Italian troops was no longer seen in early 1941. Although the Italian Viceroy Duke Aosta had taken Sudan, Kenya, and British Somaliland early, by this time the Italian troops were demoralized from their countrymen's losses in North Africa. Aosta withdrew his advanced positions and consolidated his forces within Italian East Africa on a defensive stance. The British had broken Italian communication codes, and with that advantage in hand, an offensive was launched from Sudan and Kenya with a mixed force of Indian, Ethiopian, Sudanese, Nigerian, Ghanaian, and South African troops, both regular and irregular. From Sudan, the Commonwealth 4th and 5th Indian Divisions and marched into Eritrea on 19 Jan 1941 under the direction of Lieutenant General William Platt; Italian forces at Eritrea had already retreated toward Agordat two days earlier. From Kenya, Lieutenant General Alan Cunningham launched his offensive on 11 Feb. Major Orde Wingate of later Chindit fame in Burma, played a role in leading Ethiopian irregulars in this campaign, conducting sabotage and intelligence missions behind Italian lines in the Gojjam Province.

ww2dbaseOn 19 Jan 1941, the Indian 4th and 5th Divisions of the Sudan force attacked Agordat under the field command of Major General Lewis Heath. The Indian 4th Division took the northern road via Keru and the Indian 5th Division the southern via Barentu. After Agordat was captured before the end of the month, Italian forces made their stand at Keren, 60 miles east of Agordat, on 5 Feb. For ten days British forces assaulted Keren, but the Italian defense held, causing heavy casualties on both sides. On 1 Mar, Platt was joined by four battalions including Indian, Senegalese, and French troops, bolstering his number to 13,000. The Italians were doing the same, however, with their numbers grown to 23,000. Platt resumed his attack on 14 Mar, and was finally able to take Keren on 27 Mar. Both sides continued to suffer heavy casualties until the last day of the battle. As the Indian 5th Division marched toward the Eritrean capital of Asmara, the city was declared an open city on 1 Apr to avoid destruction. Unlike Asmara, however, Massawa was not to be given up as easily for its strategic importance. Italian Admiral Bonnetti, the officer in charge of the forces there, prepared his 10,000 men and 100 vehicles for a stand, but the front lines fell quickly and the remaining troops were demoralized. Massawa was taken on 8 Apr. During this campaign, Admiral Bonnetti's seven destroyers were all sunk by British surface and air units; his submarines escaped, returning to Italy by sailing around the southern tip of Africa. With the port of Massawa secured and the Italian navy driven out of the Red Sea, the British secured a reliable supply route to their war efforts in Africa. After Massawa, the Sudan force pushed southwards. The mountain keep of Amba Alagi fell on 14 May, allowing the Sudan force to connect with the Kenya force which had already captured Addis Ababa.

ww2dbaseWhile the Sudan force fought fiercely in the north, the southern Kenya force had a relatively easier time in the south. It had captured Mogadishu, the capital of Italian Somaliland, on 25 Feb. On 16 Mar, Cunningham carried out the first successful landing operation in WW2 by landing two Sikh battalions of the Indian Army on the beach near Berbera in British Somaliland; the Italian force of 60 men surrendered after being overwhelmed by the amphibious assault. The next major target, the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, was captured by Cunningham's troops on 6 Apr. After the arrival of the Sudan force from the north, remaining Italian troops were surrounded. On 5 May, Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I, previously exiled by Italian troops in 1936, returned to Addis Ababa under the escort of Wingate's troops.

ww2dbaseOn 16 May, Duke Aosta formally surrendered although Italian resistance lasted until 27 Nov under General Nasi based in Gondar in Begemder Province. After that, Italian guerrilla forces continued to fight until Italy's surrender in 1943.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Update: Jan 2007

Invasion of Italian East Africa Interactive Map

Photographs

Troops of the South African 1st Infantry Division celebrating the capture of Fort Hobok in southwestern Ethiopia, 1941

Pilot Officer Kennedy of No. 47 Squadron RAF Detachment inspecting his Wellesley bomber after engagement with two CR.42 fighters, Agordat, Eritrea, 25 Mar 1941; his gunner Sergeant German was killed

British Royal Air Force Vickers Wellesley light bomber kicking up a dust cloud during a take off from an East African airstrip, 15 May 1941.

Invasion of Italian East Africa Timeline

19 Jan 1941	Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia crossed the border between Sudan and Italian Eritrea, traveling toward his home country behind advancing British and Commonwealth troops.
19 Jan 1941	British and Commonwealth troops attacked Italian Eritrea. 4th and 5th Indian Infantry Divisions captured the railway junction at Kassala, Sudan, on the border with Italian Eritrea. This allowed the column led by British General William Platt to march south.
21 Jan 1941	The last recorded charge by cavalry against a British battery occurred in Eritrea, Italian East Africa when a battery of the 144th (Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry) Field Regiment Royal Artillery was surprised by about sixty mounted Eritreans, led by an Italian officer, who came on at the gallop firing from the saddle and lobbing grenades as they charged; the Battery replied with shell ands small arms fire, and the cavalry retired leaving about forty of their number killed or wounded on the field. Elsewhere, Indian 5th Infantry Division advanced 50 miles into Eritrea, capturing Aicota unopposed. Finally, Indian 10th Infantry Brigade and 2nd Battalion of the British Highland Light Infantry marched for Keru.
22 Jan 1941	4th Indian Division attacked Italian positions at Keru, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, leading to General Fongoli surrendering his 1,200 men.
25 Jan 1941	Nigerian, Ghanaian, East African, and South African troops of 11th African Division under British General Harry Edward de Robillard Wetherall and 12th African Division under British General Reade Godwin-Austen crossed into the Italian Somaliland from Kenya. Italian troops withdrew 100 miles behind the Juba River in response.
29 Jan 1941	British forces based in Kenya led by General Sir Alan Cunningham began attacking the Italian colonial garrison. Meanwhile. the South African troops came ashore in Italian Somaliland. This combined with British advances through Eritrea made the Italian armies in the Horn of Africa increasingly in danger of being surrounded.
31 Jan 1941	Indian 4th Division flanked and then captured Agordat, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. 1,000 Italian troops and 43 field guns were captured.
1 Feb 1941	Indian 4th Division captured Agordat, Eritrea, Italian East Africa while Indian 5th Division captured Metemma, Ethiopia. 2nd Lieutenant Premindra Singh Bhagat of the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners won the first Victoria Cross for the British Indian Army in WW2 for a "...continuous feat of sheer cold courage" clearing 15 minefields and 55 miles of roads in 48 hours.
2 Feb 1941	Indian 5th Division captured Italian fortifications defended by 8,000 troops and 32 field guns at Barentu, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. To the east in the Indian Ocean, British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable launched aircraft in the Indian Ocean to mine the harbor of Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland.
3 Feb 1941	Italian troops in Eritrea, Italian East Africa withdrew into towns in the mountains.
5 Feb 1941	British and Indian troops attacked Italian-held hills near Dongolaas Gorge en route to Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa.
6 Feb 1941	Near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, Indian 3rd Battalion of 14th Punjab Regiment attacked Brig's Peak but was pushed back by Italian 65th Infantry Division "Granatieri di Savoia".
7 Feb 1941	British and Indian troops continued to hold the Cameron Ridge near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, which was a ridge named after the British infantry regiment Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders which had initially taken it at the start of the Battle of Keren. On the other side of the Gorge, Indian 4th Division launched an attempt to flank the Italian troops at Dologorodoc Fort by moving through the Scescilembi Valley.
10 Feb 1941	1st Punjab Regiment of Indian 3rd Battalion captured Brig's Peak near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. To the south, British General Cunningham launched Operation Canvas against Italian positions on the Juba River in Italian Somaliland.
11 Feb 1941	Indian 3rd Battalion captured Sanchil hill in the Dongolaas Gorge near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, but the Italian Savoia Grenadiers conterattack recaptured the hill as well as Brig's Peak by the end of the day. To the South, British troops from Kenya captured the road junction at Afmadow at the north end of the Juba River.
12 Feb 1941	Indian and Italian troops continued the fighting on the north side of the Dongolaas Gorge and in Happy valley on the south side of the gorge near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa.
13 Feb 1941	British carrier HMS Formidable launched 14 Albacore aircraft against Massawa, Italian East Africa, sinking Italian ship Moncalieri and damaging others. Two Albacore aircraft were shot down with six crew members taken prisoner.
14 Feb 1941	African Commonwealth troops captured the port city of Kismayu, Italian East Africa, with gunfire support from cruisers HMS Shropshire, HMS Hawkins, HMS Ceres, and HMS Capetown.
14 Feb 1941	The 14th Demi-Brigade de marche de la Légion Étrangère under the command of Colonel Raoul Magrin-Vernerey landed unopposed at Port Sudan, Sudan.
15 Feb 1941	British General Platt suspended the piecemeal attacks on Italian positions at Dongolaas Gorge near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. Instead, he began to plan for a larger offensive.
18 Feb 1941	South African 1st Division captured Mega, Ethiopia.
22 Feb 1941	British 11th and 12th African Divisions attacked and overran Italian positions at Jilib, Somaliland, Italian East Africa.
23 Feb 1941	British 12th African Division marched up the Juba River in Somaliland, Italian East Africa toward the Ethiopian border while the motorized British Nigerian Brigade of the 11th African Division drove up the coastal road toward Mogadishu.
25 Feb 1941	Nigerian Brigade of the British 11th African Division captured Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland, Italian East Africa and the 400,000 gallons of fuel in its stores.
1 Mar 1941	In Port Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, as HMS Formidable waited for mine clearing operations to complete in the Suez Canal, she launched 5 Albacore aircraft to bomb Massawa, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, causing little damage.
1 Mar 1941	Two battalions of Indian 4th Division and 2 Free French battalions reached Mescelit Pass 15 miles northeast of Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa; lacking artillery, the force's goal was only to tie down Italian forces in the region. On the same day, Italian submarines Gauleo Ferraras, Perla, and Archimede departed Massawa, Eritrea for the long journey around Africa for Europe.
2 Mar 1941	British 11th African Division began marching from Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland toward Jijiga, Ethiopia in pursuit of retreating Italian forces.
10 Mar 1941	The British Nigerian Brigade engaged Italian units at Degehabur, Ethiopia, about 100 miles south of Jijiga.
15 Mar 1941	Indian 4th and 5th Divisions attacked Italian positions at 0700 hours near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, capturing hilltops on either side of the gorge after an entire day of fighting in which both sides suffered heavy casualties.
16 Mar 1941	At Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, British 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment climbed up the steep mountain to attack Italian positions at Fort Dologorodoc overnight; to the British troops' advantage, some of the Italian troops had departed from the fort to attack Indian 5th Mahratta Light Infantry Regiment at the base of the mountain, allowing the fort to be captured at 0630 hours after about 2 hours of combat, yielding 400 prisoners of war. In British Somaliland, 2 Indian battalions conducted an amphibious landing at Berbera; the port was defended by only 60 Italian troops, who surrendered without resisting.
17 Mar 1941	British 11th African Division captured Jijiga, Ethiopia, Italian East Africa unopposed.
18 Mar 1941	Italian troops bombarded Fort Dologorodoc near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, which British and Indian had only recently gained.
20 Mar 1941	Indian troops captured Hargeisa in Italian-occupied British Somaliland.
21 Mar 1941	Nigerian Brigade of British 11th African Division attacked Italian defenses at Marda Pass east of Hadew in eastern Ethiopia at 1200 hours. Italian defenses held off the attacks for hours before falling back after sundown.
22 Mar 1941	British and Indian troops continued to hold Fort Dologorodoc in Eritrea, Italian East Africa despite repeated Italian counterattacks and shelling. Elsewhere, in Ethiopia, Italian troops declared Harar an open city.
23 Mar 1941	South African 2nd Division arrived in the recently recaptured Berbera, British Somaliland by sea. In Ethiopia, Nigerian Brigade of British 11th African Division advanced 36 miles toward Addis Ababa to Babile Pass, where they were paused for several hours by Italian defensive positions.
24 Mar 1941	German and Italian ships continued to leave Massawa, Eritrea, Italian East Africa ahead of Allied advances, while Allied warships attempted to intercept them. British sloop HMS Shoreham intercepted German ship Oder, which was scuttled by her own crew to prevent capture. British Royal Navy aircraft detected Italian freighter India; to prevent capture by British warships that were sure to come, the crew entered the port of Assab nearby.
25 Mar 1941	British and Indian troops attacked Italian positions on the heights above the Dongolaas Gorge in Eritrea, Italian East Africa at 0300, capturing 2 small hills and 500 prisoners by 0530 hours, gaining control of the road through the gorge.
26 Mar 1941	Allied troops repaired the road running through Dongolaas Gorge in Eritrea, Italian East Africa. Italian troops at nearby heights only realized this after nightfall, by then it was too late to stop the Allied column that was starting to advance, thus the Italians began to withdraw to Keren. Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, The British Nigerian Brigade captured Harar unopposed.
27 Mar 1941	Allied tanks and infantry captured heights beyond the Dongolaas Gorge in Eritrea, Italian East Africa. By 1000 hours, Keren was captured without opposition as Italian troops fled toward Asmara. The Battle of Keren ended with 536 Allies killed and 3,229 wounded, while the Italians suffered 6,500 casualties.
28 Mar 1941	Armored cars of Indian 4th Division and Indian 5th Division pursued Italian troops withdrawing from Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. Italian rear guards fought a series of delay action engagements, slowing Allied advances by taking advantage of the terrain.
29 Mar 1941	South African 1st Brigade relieved the Nigerian Brigade in the Allied assault into Italian-occupied Ethiopia, capturing railway town of Diredawa and its airfield.
31 Mar 1941	British and Indian troops broke through the roadblocks on the road between Keren and Asmara in Eritrea, Italian East Africa, capturing 560 Italian troops; continuing the push south, Indian 5th Infantry Division engaged Italian troops near Adi Tekelezan, which was less than 50 kilometers from Asmara and was the last town before Asmara. To the east, Italian destroyers Leone, Pantera, and Tigre departed Massawa, Eritrea to attack British port facilities at Port Sudan, British Sudan; Leone struck underwater rocks en route, and Pantera and Tigre were forced to sink Leone by gunfire, and the attack was called off with two surviving ships heading back to Massawa.
1 Apr 1941	In Italian East Africa, advancing British tanks were met by 2 police officers from Asmara, declaring the Eritrean capital an open city; troops of Indian 5th Division entered the city at 1000 hours, accepting the surrender of 5,000 Italian prisoners of war, while British armored cars under Colonel Bernard Fletcher raced toward Adigrat to cut off the Italian retreat into Ethiopia. To the east, German merchant ships continued to leave the port of Massawa; British destroyer HMS Kandahar intercepted German ship Bertram Rickmers, which was scuttled by her own crew.
2 Apr 1941	In Eritrea, Italian East Africa, British troops offered surrender terms to Italian Admiral Mario Bonetti's fleet which had sortied out of Massawa on the previous day; Bonetti chose to press on with his planned attack on Port Sudan in British Sudan. British armored cars under Colonel Bernard Fletcher cut off the Italian retreat from Eritrea at Adigrat. Finally, in Ethiopia, 22nd East African Brigade of the British 11th African Division reached the Awash River.
3 Apr 1941	Italian Admiral Mario Bonetti's fleet of 5 destroyers and smaller warships, which had sailed out of Massawa, Italian East Africa on the previous day, was detected and attacked by a force of British aircraft. Without air cover, one by one the Italian ships became so damaged by bomb hits that they had to be abandoned. The last survivor, the torpedo boat Orsini, tried to flee back to Massawa but being badly damaged by the British air attacks, she eventually settled and had to be scuttled before reaching the port. With British ground forces only an hour away from entering the port the remaining Italian ships there (Acerbi and half a dozen small MAS boats) were destroyed with demolition charges.
4 Apr 1941	After securing Asmara, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, Indian 5th Division moved east toward Massawa while Indian 4th Division was withdrawn from the region to reinforce Libya where a renewed Axis offensive was underway. 6 German and 7 Italian freighters were scuttled at Massawa to prevent Allied capture, while British RAF aircraft sank Italian torpedo boat Acerbi in the harbor. In Ethiopia, Italian troops were evacuated out of Addis Ababa as British 11th African Division advanced.
5 Apr 1941	Indian 5th Division reached Massawa, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. Italian Admiral Bonetti, the head of the 10,000-strong garrison who had ignored surrender demands previously, asked for surrender terms at 1330 hours. Before the Allies responded, however, his superiors in Rome, Italy ordered him to fight until the last man.
6 Apr 1941	British 11th African Division captured the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa unopposed; the Italian garrison originally based in Addis Ababa had withdrawn north to Gondar and Amba Alagi.
7 Apr 1941	British cruiser HMS Capetown bombarded Massawa, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. Italian torpedo boat MAS.213 counterattacked and seriously damaged HMS Capetown with a torpedo at 2315 hours, but Capetown was able to escape despite the damage. She would be towed to Bombay, India for repairs.
8 Apr 1941	British, Indian, and Free French troops captured hill forts surrounding Massawa, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. RAF aircraft sank Italian minelayer Ostia in the Massawa harbor; avoiding capture, Italian destroyer Orsini and 12 other vessels were scuttled, leaving the harbor nearly unusable with so many wrecks. Shortly after, British General Heath accepted the formal surrender by Italian Admiral Bonetti and his 10,000-strong garrison. Prior to the surrender, ammunition and supply dumps were destroyed.
10 Apr 1941	Nigerian troops of the British 11th African Division marched from Addis Ababa toward Jimma in Ethiopia, while Indian 5th Division marched from Massawa, Eritrea toward Amara, Ethiopia. At Assab, Eritrea, Italians scutled 7 freighters to prevent capture.
19 Apr 1941	Indian 5th Division (marching south from Amara, Eritrea, Italian East Africa) and British 1st South African Brigade (marching north from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) attacked toward the 7,000-strong Italian garrison at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia.
22 Apr 1941	British 1st South African Brigade captured Camboicia Pass, Ethiopia and 1,200 Italian prisoners of war.
26 Apr 1941	South African 1st Brigade captured Dessie, Ethiopia, taking 4,000 Italians as prisoners of war.
1 May 1941	Viceroy of Italian East Africa Duke of Aosta and 7,000 troops were trapped at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia by Indian 5th Indivision to the north and South African 1st Brigade in the south.
3 May 1941	Allied and Italian troops engaged in heavy fighting at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia.
4 May 1941	29th Brigade of the Indian 5th Division launched another attack at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia, capturing 3 hills between 0415 and 0730 hours.
5 May 1941	3/2nd Punjab Battalion advanced toward the Italian stronghold at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia at 0415 hours. They were pinned down by 12 Italian machine guns for the most of the day. The attack was called off at dusk.
5 May 1941	Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie returned to his capital Addis Ababa. He had fled the city exactly five years during the Italian invasion.
8 May 1941	Indian troops attacked Amba Alagi, Ethiopia at dawn, taking the Falagi Pass and three hills east and south of the city, respectively. Later in the morning, Italian troops counterattacked and recaptured two of the hills.
10 May 1941	Indian troops marched out the Falagi Pass, which was captured on the previous day, toward the 11,400-foot Mount Gumsa east of Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. Italian troops who held Mount Gumsa would be withdrawn into Amba Alagi after sundown.
11 May 1941	South African 1st Brigade arrived at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia.
15 May 1941	South African and Indian troops linked up at Triangle Hill near Amba Alagi, Ethiopia; they were also joined by Ethiopia guerrilla forces. Meanwhile, Allied shelling of the Italian fortress damaged a oil tank, causing a major oil leak into the garrison's only source of drinking water.
16 May 1941	With drinking water fouled in the Italian stronghold of Amba Alagi, Ethiopia, the Italian Viceroy Duke of Aosta requested the British to send in fresh water. When the British refused, he called for a ceasefire in order to begin surrender negotiations. By this point, his forces had suffered incurring 289,000 casualties.
17 May 1941	Viceroy of Italian East Africa Duke of Aosta surrendered Amba Alagi, Ethiopia to the British at 1730 hours.
18 May 1941	General Mosley Mayne, British commander of Indian 5th Division, had lunch with Italian commander Duke of Aosta at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. The Italian duke agreed to not destroy guns, to not destroy supplies, and to dismantle or identify mines.
19 May 1941	4,777 Italian and colonial troops formally surrendered at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia at 1115 hours, parading out of the fortress with rifles on their shoulders.
20 May 1941	Viceroy of Italian East Africa Prince Amedeo, the Duke of Aosta, surrendered himself into British captivity.
27 Sep 1941	The Italian garrison at Wolchefit Pass in Ethiopia surrendered to British King's African Rifles regiment.
27 Nov 1941	The Italian garrison at Gondar, Ethiopia surrendered as the British 12th (African) Division captured two mountain passes overlooking the town.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. tony says:
6 Feb 2009 02:01:34 PM

my father was in the second world war in the Italian army, can you direct me to where I may find information of where he was stationed and and a history of where he was during the war?

2. Anonymous says:
6 Mar 2010 07:10:18 PM

I am Ethiopian. My grandfather in my Father side was killed by Italian occupiers in Gonder. They chopped his head off for giving assistance to Ethiopian rebels.
My two uncles of my Mother sides were also killed in the resistance armed struggle during the occupation.
Someone has to make a movie of this bloody time in the region. The story of Ras Abebe Aregai specially has to be told.

3. Anonymous says:
21 Sep 2010 06:39:26 AM

I am sorry you are Ethiopian and I am sorry you lost family in the war.Countless families lost people during the Second World War. The man was simply asking how to locate information concerning his father's service in the Italian army.

4. Anonymous says:
19 Feb 2011 01:48:28 PM

I'm looking for my grandfather who is italian. He served in italian forces in Adola Ethiopia, just wondering if I have relative for my mother from italy, we are in dubai, in USA, in Canada, in Kenya.
We have italian Blood so somebody help us find these relatives in ITALY our grandfather 's name is tenete bauzano lobalochi ......sorry for translation or any errors. thank you may apostle anothony help us find the roots from italy...we dont need money or anything other than relatives...wow!
Amen.

5. olaf haitink says:
5 Feb 2014 12:27:07 AM

I am looking for Italian prisoner of war
nr 59663. I bought a conte drawing of a man
suposedly drawn by Italian captured in abysinia.

6. Anonymous says:
13 Oct 2014 10:21:27 PM

seeking info about Italian passenger ship commanded by Comm. Aristede Galante, sunk in Massawa harbor,any info about subsequent fate of passengers and crew

7. Des Francis says:
4 Dec 2014 11:42:34 AM

My father was killed May 12 1945 and is buried in Nairobi.Have been trying for years to find out how he was killed with no results. His name J N Francis
Pioneer Corps.
Can any one please help.

8. Rosie says:
23 Dec 2014 01:01:21 AM

I am looking for military records for my father who fought in the war in Africa. He was sent there from Italy. Would you be able to help me?

9. Dennis R Hall says:
29 Mar 2015 02:56:23 AM

Excellent account of events leading to the conclusion of this first part of the Second World War ie only just before the Japanese attack on the USA and less than six months after Germany's invasion of its hitherto ally in the carve-up take over of Eastern Europe. There really ought to be at least an hour length documentary made of the entire period of this theatre of campaign ie fro Italy's occupation of British Somaliland et al in the summer of 1940 to the end in November 1941. Weren't there any war correspondents filming there at the time? And how come that Mussolini never even spoke of it after its surrender? Surely it should have been a priority for him to get it back after all his vainglorious boasting of "an empire" for Italy in 1935? Why, not even a decent copy in English is available of the film Best of Enemies!

10. Anonymous says:
8 Nov 2015 11:17:54 AM

My father was P.O.W. In Uganda a camp run by the British, I would like to find information regarding this camp. He was treated very well.

11. Anonymous says:
26 Feb 2017 08:56:50 AM

Few years ago, 2003-2004, while supervising road rehabilitation with a Chinese contractor between Betemariam and Wukro, I climbed the peak of Amba Alagi (3.400m) and found a lot of rests from the battle there, bones, shells and chrapnels. But what a beautiful place

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Invasion of Italian East Africa