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| Second Italo‑Abyssinian War | |
|---|---|
| Conflict | Second Italo‑Abyssinian War |
| Date | 3 October 1935 – 9 May 1936 |
| Place | Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Eritrea, Italian Somaliland |
| Result | Italian victory; annexation of Abyssinia into Italian East Africa |
| Combatant1 | Kingdom of Italy; Fascist Italy; Royal Italian Army; Regia Aeronautica; Blackshirts |
| Combatant2 | Ethiopian Empire; Emperor Haile Selassie; Ethiopian Army; Arbegnoch |
| Commander1 | Benito Mussolini; Pietro Badoglio; Emilio De Bono; Rodolfo Graziani |
| Commander2 | Haile Selassie; Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu; Ras Imru Haile Selassie; Ras Desta Damtew |
| Strength1 | ~400,000 soldiers; mechanized units; aircraft; artillery |
| Strength2 | ~150,000 soldiers; irregular forces; cavalry |
| Casualties1 | ~4,000–6,000 killed |
| Casualties2 | ~20,000–150,000 killed; civilian casualties including chemical attacks |
Second Italo‑Abyssinian War The conflict was a 1935–1936 Italian invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) led by Benito Mussolini and conducted by the Royal Italian Army and Regia Aeronautica, resulting in occupation and the proclamation of Italian East Africa. The campaign involved major battles, aerial bombardment, the use of chemical agents, and diplomatic disputes at the League of Nations, influencing the lead‑up to the Second World War and reshaping colonial alignments in Africa. International reaction included sanctions, arms embargoes, and shifts in alliances involving United Kingdom, France, Germany, Soviet Union, and United States policymakers.
Italian ambitions drew on the legacy of the First Italo‑Ethiopian War and the 1896 Battle of Adwa, motivating Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party to pursue an African empire after occupation of Libya and intervention in the Corfu Incident. Colonial competition arose amid the Scramble for Africa and disputes over borders with Eritrea (Italian colony) and Italian Somaliland, while Italian claims invoked treaties such as the Treaty of Wuchale and sought prestige ahead of the Rome–Berlin Axis rapprochement. Abyssinian resistance under Emperor Haile Selassie and regional rulers like Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu and Ras Imru Haile Selassie intersected with Oromo, Amhara, and Tigrayan local dynamics and responses to modernization efforts and centralization.
Italian forces under Emilio De Bono began operations in October 1935 from Eritrea (Italian colony), advancing toward Adigrat and Mekele, while troops from Italian Somaliland under Rodolfo Graziani moved into the southern front, leading to engagements at the Battle of Amba Aradam, Battle of Tembien, and Second Battle of Tembien. After initial stalemate and Ethiopian counteroperations at Shire and Gojjam, Pietro Badoglio replaced Emilio De Bono and implemented a strategy of heavy bombardment and encirclement culminating in the decisive Battle of Maychew and the capture of Mekele and Addis Ababa in May 1936, whereupon Emperor Haile Selassie went into exile via Djibouti and appealed to the League of Nations at Geneva. Guerrilla resistance by Arbegnoch forces continued in the Ethiopian highlands, leading to prolonged pacification campaigns by the Royal Italian Army and colonial troops into the late 1930s.
The Royal Italian Army employed divisions, Blackshirt militia units, Carabinieri, colonial brigades drawn from Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, and mechanized formations supported by the Regia Aeronautica and Regia Marina, using aircraft such as the Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 and Fiat CR.32 for reconnaissance and bombardment. Ethiopian forces combined imperial regulars, provincial armies led by nobles like Ras Desta Damtew and Ras Imru, cavalry contingents, and irregular Arbegnoch fighters, relying on traditional arms alongside imported rifles and artillery from suppliers including France, United States, and Czechoslovakia. Tactics contrasted Italian combined arms, air supremacy, and chemical weapon employment with Ethiopian maneuver warfare, fortified positions at mountain redoubts, and mobile cavalry charges at locales like Amba Aradam and Gondar.
The invasion provoked diplomatic crises at the League of Nations, where Haile Selassie addressed the Assembly of the League of Nations accusing Benito Mussolini of aggression, prompting limited sanctions organized by France and the United Kingdom that excluded oil and were undermined by commercial links to Germany and Belgium. Italy drew closer to Nazi Germany and signed agreements that advanced the Rome–Berlin Axis, while the Soviet Union offered rhetorical support and material aid to Abyssinia, and the United States declared neutrality under the Neutrality Acts. International observers included journalists from The Times, Le Monde reportage, and relief appeals from Red Cross affiliates, all amid debates in parliaments such as the British Parliament and the French Chamber of Deputies.
Italian use of mustard gas and other chemical agents by units of the Regia Aeronautica violated protocols like the Geneva Protocol and targeted civilian populations as well as combatants during assaults on positions at Adua and the Ogaden. Reports documented aerial bombardment of refugee columns, summary executions by Blackshirt units, and reprisals under commanders such as Rodolfo Graziani and Pietro Badoglio, exacerbating famine and displacement among Oromo, Amhara, and Tigrayan civilians and provoking condemnation from activists affiliated with Save the Children and humanitarian missions from Switzerland and Norway. Documentation of atrocities influenced later international law debates and postwar prosecutions involving Allied Control Commission inquiries.
Italy annexed Abyssinia and proclaimed Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana), amalgamating Eritrea (Italian colony), Italian Somaliland, and Abyssinia, but faced persistent insurgency by Arbegnoch guerrillas and administrative challenges leading to martial governance under viceroys like Pietro Badoglio and later Graziani. The conflict weakened confidence in the League of Nations, encouraged Adolf Hitler’s revanchism and the revision of European alliances culminating in the Anti‑Comintern Pact and the Pact of Steel, and shifted colonial policy debates in Britain and France. During World War II, British and Commonwealth forces including units from South Africa, India, and Sudan launched the East African Campaign (1940–1941) to expel Italian forces and restore Haile Selassie in 1941.
Scholars debate interpretations offered by historians such as A.J.P. Taylor, Christopher Duggan, and Richard Pankhurst concerning fascist expansionism, colonial violence, and Ethiopian state resilience, while archival collections in Vatican Archives, Archivio Centrale dello Stato, and National Archives (UK) have revealed operational orders, chemical weapons authorizations, and diplomatic correspondence. Cultural memory appears in works by Ethiopian writers like Haddis Alemayehu, Italian chroniclers such as Indro Montanelli, and representations in film and literature addressing imperialism, with ongoing legal and moral assessments of reparations, recognition of war crimes, and commemorations in Addis Ababa and Rome reflecting contested legacies across Africa and Europe.
Category:Wars involving Italy Category:Wars involving Ethiopia