Second Italo-Ethiopian War

Second Italo-Ethiopian War

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War was a conflict where Italy attacked Ethiopia from October 1935 to May 1936. The Italians, led by leaders such as Benito Mussolini and Pietro Badoglio, wanted to control Ethiopia and add it to their empire. They began their attack with many soldiers moving from places they already controlled nearby, like Eritrea and Italian Somalia.

Ethiopia fought back hard, but Italy had better weapons. Eventually, Italian forces captured the capital city, Addis Ababa, and Ethiopia became part of the Italian Empire.

This war was important because it showed the world that international rules meant little at the time. The League of Nations, which was supposed to keep peace, could not stop Italy. The conflict also hurt Italy's economy and helped push Italy closer to Germany, changing the shape of Europe before the Second World War.

Background

The Kingdom of Italy wanted colonies in the Horn of Africa starting in the 1880s. Their first try failed when they lost the First Italo-Ethiopian War and the Battle of Adwa in 1896. After that, Italy only controlled small areas like Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. For many years, Italy and Ethiopia had peaceful relations.

In 1925, Italy made a secret deal with Britain. This made Ethiopia unhappy. As Italy’s leaders grew stronger, they moved into nearby lands. In 1934, a fight happened at Walwal between Italian and Ethiopian soldiers. This caused tension and led to bigger problems later.

Other European countries like Britain and France were worried but did not stop Italy. Italy used this chance to move many soldiers to the area, getting ready to invade Ethiopia. Some countries, like Germany, sent small help to Ethiopia.

Armies

Ethiopian forces

Main articles: Ethiopian order of battle in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and List of Second Italo-Ethiopian War weapons of Ethiopia

When the war started, Ethiopia had a large army with many soldiers. They had modern rifles and some ammunition. Ethiopia tried to get more weapons but a ban stopped them. Germany secretly sent some weapons to help.

Ethiopia had a few machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and some tanks. The best troops were the emperor's Imperial Guard, who were well-trained. Ethiopia also had a small air force with old airplanes.

Many foreigners joined to help Ethiopia, including pilots, doctors, and advisors.

Italian forces

Main articles: Italian order of battle for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and List of Second Italo-Ethiopian War weapons of Italy

Italy built a very large army for the war. They had many machine guns, artillery, tanks, and airplanes. Italy also used troops from its colonies in Eritrea, Somalia, and Libya. These included skilled soldiers called the Ascari.

Italy had support from volunteers from places like Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Generals Emilio De Bono and Rodolfo Graziani led the Italian forces.

Hostilities

Italian invasion

On October 3, 1935, Italian soldiers crossed the Mareb River and entered Ethiopia from Eritrea without warning. The Italian army was led by General De Bono and had many soldiers. At first, they faced few problems and captured villages like Adigrat and Adwa, which were not defended.

As the invasion went on, the Italians had trouble with bad roads and hard terrain. But they kept moving forward and faced little fighting at first. Later, Ethiopian forces got ready to fight, but they moved slowly. The Italians kept advancing and took more land, setting up control in important places.

Second Italian advance

As the Ethiopian forces regrouped, the Italians got more soldiers and new orders to keep fighting. They met strong Ethiopian resistance in several battles, but they used their better weapons and tactics to win.

Finally, the Italian forces broke through Ethiopian lines in important battles, leading to the fall of big cities. The Ethiopians, facing much larger forces, kept moving back and could not stop the Italian advance.

Fall of Addis Ababa

In April 1936, Italian forces started a final push toward the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The Italian army, led by General Badoglio, moved quickly and faced only light resistance. By early May, the Italians had reached the outskirts of Addis Ababa.

On May 5, 1936, Italian troops entered Addis Ababa, ending major fighting. The Italian leader, Mussolini, announced the creation of an Italian Empire, celebrating the victory as a big success for Italy.

Aftermath

Subsequent events and operations, 1936–1937

Main article: Italian East Africa

After capturing Addis Ababa, Italian troops still had many problems. The rainy season made travel difficult, and large parts of south-western Ethiopia were not under Italian control. About 40,000–50,000 Ethiopian soldiers kept fighting. On 10 May 1936, Italian forces from the north and south met at Dire Dawa. An Ethiopian leader, Hailu Tekle Haymanot, surrendered to the Italians. Other Ethiopian forces under Imru Haile Selassie moved to Gore to plan more resistance. Though they had trouble leading, small groups kept fighting around the capital.

In June 1936, Italy combined Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia into Italian East Africa. An Italian leader went to Nekemte to ask a local chief to work with them. But Ethiopian fighters attacked the Italians, destroying planes and killing some officials.

Life in Addis Ababa was hard for the Italians. Communication was difficult, and there was much trouble in the city. Italian troops worried about attacks by Ethiopian fighters hiding nearby. In July, Ethiopian forces tried to take over Addis Ababa but were stopped by Italian and Eritrean troops.

Later in 1936, Italian forces moved through western Ethiopia, capturing more areas and fighting Ethiopian soldiers. By the end of 1936, most of the remaining Ethiopian leaders had been captured or had surrendered. The last big battle happened in February 1937, where Ethiopian forces were defeated.

Addis Ababa massacre

Main article: Yekatit 12

On 19 February 1937, there was an attempt to kill an Italian leader in Addis Ababa. In response, Italian troops attacked the city’s people. Many Ethiopians were killed over several days. This event is called “Yekatit 12” and is remembered in Ethiopia with a monument in Addis Ababa.

The new government of the Duke of Aosta, 1937–1940

In late 1937, a new Italian leader, the Duke of Aosta, was appointed. He worked on building roads, hospitals, and schools. However, Italy made strict racial laws and separated people by ethnicity. Some groups, like the Oromos and Somalis, were given more rights to weaken the ruling Amhara people. Italy also ended practices like slavery that had been common under previous rulers.

East African campaign, 1940–1941

Main article: East African Campaign (World War II)

When World War II began, Italy attacked British-held areas around Ethiopia. With help from Britain, Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie returned to help free Ethiopia. In 1941, Selassie and Allied forces retook Addis Ababa. After this, Italy officially recognized Ethiopia’s independence and agreed to pay for the damage caused during the war.

Casualties

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War caused many losses on both sides. Italian records from 1936 said about 3,300 Italian and allied troops were lost, but some historians think the number was higher. The number of Ethiopian losses is not exact. Some Italian sources say around 70,000 Ethiopian soldiers were killed in battle. Other sources mention many civilians were affected by bombing and hardships during the war. Historians are still learning more about the full impact of the conflict.

War crimes

Use of chemical weapons

During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War from 1935 to 1936, Italy used a harmful gas called mustard gas. They dropped it from airplanes and fired it from guns. This broke international rules. Many people suffered because of this gas.

Dum-dum rounds and atrocities against prisoners of war

In this war, some Ethiopian soldiers used special bullets called dum-dum bullets, which were banned by international rules. There were reports of harmful treatment of captured soldiers.

Ethiopian War Crimes Commission, 1946

After the war, Ethiopia created a group to look into the harmful actions done by Italy during the conflict. They wanted to hold important Italian leaders responsible. However, very few of these leaders were tried for their actions.

Public and international reaction

Italy won the war, which made Mussolini very popular. In May 1936, he declared a new Italian empire. He made a new top military rank and gave it to himself and the king.

Emperor Haile Selassie left Ethiopia and went to Britain. He spoke at the League of Nations, asking for help to protect his country. He criticized the world for not stopping Italy. Many countries, like France and Britain, did not strongly oppose Italy’s control of Ethiopia. Only a few nations, like Mexico and the Soviet Union, kept supporting Ethiopia’s independence. The war inspired many people around the world to support Ethiopia, with demonstrations in places like New York City and Chicago. Leaders in India and South Africa also showed sympathy for Ethiopia, seeing the conflict as part of a larger fight against colonial rule.

In popular culture

Filmography

Some movies were made about this time in history. Here are a few films from different years:

• 1936: The Great Appeal
• 1937: Sentinels of Bronze
• 1938: Luciano Serra, Pilot
• 1939: The Little Adventurers
• 1989: Time to Kill