HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Battle of Maychew ( it, Mai Ceu) was the last major battle fought on the northern front during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The battle consisted of a failed counterattack by the Ethiopian forces under
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...
Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
making
frontal assault The military tactic of frontal assault is a direct, full-force attack on the front line of an enemy force, rather than to the flanks or rear of the enemy. It allows for a quick and decisive victory, but at the cost of subjecting the attackers to ...
s against prepared Italian defensive positions under the command of Marshal
Pietro Badoglio Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino (, ; 28 September 1871 – 1 November 1956), was an Italian general during both World Wars and the first viceroy of Italian East Africa. With the fall of the Fascist regime ...
. The battle was fought near Maychew (Mai Ceu),
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
, in the modern region of Tigray.


Background

On 3 October 1935,
General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
Emilio De Bono advanced into Ethiopia from
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
without a declaration of war, leading a force of approximately 100,000 Italian and 25,000 Eritrean soldiers towards the Ethiopian capital of
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, ...
. In December, after a brief period of inactivity and minor setbacks for the Italians, De Bono was replaced by Badoglio. Under Badoglio, the advance on Addis Ababa was renewed. Badoglio overwhelmed the armies of ill-armed and uncoordinated Ethiopian warriors with
mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is a chemical compound belonging to a family of cytotoxic and blister agents known as mustard agents. The name ''mustard gas'' is technically incorrect: the substance, when dispersed, is often not actually a gas, b ...
, tanks, and heavy artillery. He defeated the Ethiopian armies at the Battle of Amba Aradam, the Second Battle of Tembien, and the Battle of Shire.


Korem and Maychew

On 1 March 1936, Emperor
Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
arrived by foot at his new headquarters in Korem. He arrived forty years to the day from the decisive Ethiopian victory at
Adwa Adwa ( ti, ዓድዋ; amh, ዐድዋ; also spelled Aduwa) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Ital ...
during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. On 19 March, both ''Ras'' Kassa Haile Darge and ''Ras'' Seyum Mangasha made their way to Korem to join the Emperor. In addition, ''Ras''
Getachew Abate Getachew Abate (1895–1952) was an army commander and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire. Getachew Abate was the son of ''Lique Mekwas'' Abate Ba-Yalew. He had a church education followed by language training at the Menelik Sch ...
arrived with a fresh army from Kaffa Province. The Emperor divided his army into four groups. He arranged that one group would be commanded directly by himself and that the other three groups would be commanded by ''Ras'' Kassa, ''Ras'' Seyum, and ''Ras'' Getachew. Compared to other Ethiopian forces, Haile Selasie's army was extremely well armed. He had an
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...
regiment of twenty 75mm field guns, some Oerlikon 37mm guns, and even a few 81mm Brandt mortars. However, compared to the resources available to Badoglio, Haile Selasie's army was hopelessly outmatched. To even things up, the Emperor handed out between ten and fifteen dollars and distributed other gifts to the
Oromo people The Oromo (pron. Oromo: ''Oromoo'') are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya, who speak the Oromo language (also called ''Afaan Oromoo'' or ''Oromiffa''), which is part of the Cushitic ...
of Raya Azebo (Italian: ''Azebu Galla''). In exchange, they swore their allegiance to him and agreed to attack the Italian flanks. Badoglio had the four divisions of the Italian I Army Corps and the three divisions of the Eritrean Corps at Maychew. Before the battle, the Marshal explained: "The Emperor has three choices. To attack, and be defeated; to wait for our attack, and we will win anyway; or to retreat, which is disastrous for an army that lacks means of transport and proper organisation for food and munitions." Badoglio also enjoyed the intelligence edge of being able to intercept most of the Ethiopian radio communications. On 21 March, Haile Selassie sent a radio message to his wife, Empress
Menen Asfaw Menen Asfaw (baptismal name: Walatta Giyorgis; 25 March 1889 – 15 February 1962) was Empress consort of the Ethiopian Empire. She was the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie. Family Menen Asfaw was born in Ambassel, located in Wollo Province o ...
: :"Since our trust in our Creator and in the hope of His help and as we have decided to advance and enter the fortifications and since God is our only help, confide this decision in secret to the Abuna, to the ministers and to the dignitaries and offer unto God our fervent prayers." As soon as Badoglio intercepted this message indicating that Haile Selassie had decided to advance, he cancelled orders for his own proposed offensive. Instead, Badoglio would prepare defensive positions for an Ethiopian attack. On 23 March, looking across a lush green valley towards the Italian positions at Maychew, the Emperor contemplated his decision to strike first. His army was the last intact Ethiopian army between Badoglio and Addis Ababa. He decided he would direct the attack personally in accordance with tradition and the expectation of his followers. Six battalions of the Imperial Guard ('' Kebur Zabangna'') would be part of his force of approximately 31,000 fighters. Haile Selassie chose to attack against the advice of his foreign experts and against his own better judgement.
Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl� ...
, 145-6.
Had Haile Selassie attacked on 24 March as he originally planned, things may have gone differently; many of the Italians had only recently arrived at Maychew after the fall of Amba Aradam. But, during a week frittered away by the Ethiopians in war councils, banquets, and prayers, the Italians had time to strengthen their defenses and time to bring up reserves.


Battle

At dawn on 31 March 1936, the attack was launched. It was
St. George's Day Saint George's Day is the Calendar of saints, feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the Patronages of Saint George, patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia (country), Georgi ...
. The attack began at 0545 hours and continued for thirteen hours with little or no let up. The Italians had been "standing to" in the
front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or unint ...
positions all night, alerted to the attack by an Ethiopian deserter. The
mountain troops Mountain warfare (also known as alpine warfare) is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. Mountain ranges are of strategic importance since they often act as a natural border, and may also be the origin of a water source (for example, t ...
(''
Alpini The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Currently the active Alpini units are organized in two operatio ...
'') of the
5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" The 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" ( it, 5ª Divisione alpina "Pusteria") was a Division (military), division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II, which specialized in mountain warfare. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Ita ...
were dug in on the slopes of Amba Bokora for the Italian I Corps. The rest of the I Corps was in reserve, the 26th Infantry Division "Assietta", the
30th Infantry Division "Sabauda" The 30th Infantry Division "Sabauda" ( it, 30ª Divisione di fanteria "Sabauda") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Sabauda was based in Cagliari in Sardinia and named for the Latin name of the Royal Ho ...
, and the 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio". The two Eritrean divisions of the Eritrean Corps held Mekan Pass, the 1st Eritrean Division and the 2nd Eritrean Division. The 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" was in reserve for the Eritrean Corps. The Ethiopians advanced in three columns of 3,000 men each. In the first attacks, the Ethiopians hurled themselves at the Italian positions in waves. The fury of the attack and surprisingly accurate mortar fire carried the Ethiopians well into the defensive lines of the "Pusteria" Division. But the mountain troops struck back and soon the front lines were stabilized.


Switch to the left flank

The Ethiopians switched the focus of their attack and fifteen thousand men under ''Ras'' KassaMockler, p. 117 advanced against the Eritreans holding Mekan Pass on the Italian left flank. Haile Selassie hoped to face less resistance from the Eritreans. From 0700 to 0800 hours, the Ethiopians kept up a steady onslaught and, despite taking heavy casualties, were beginning to make gains. But at 0800 Badoglio unleashed the bombers of the Italian Royal Air Force (''
Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the mon ...
'') and the Ethiopians could hear the ominous engine roar as they closed in with poison gas.


Imperial Guard sent in

Haile Selassie now played his trump card. The Imperial Guard, under the command of ''Ras'' Getachew Abate, was sent in against the Eritreans. The training and discipline of this elite force was apparent in the methodical mode of their advance over the open ground. For three hours they struggled to roll up the Italian flank. The X Battalion of the 2nd Eritrean Division was virtually annihilated. In the end, the Italian commander of the unit called down concentrated artillery fire onto his own overrun positions and saved the day.


Last attack

By 1600 hours, it was apparent that the Imperial Guard was not going to be able to capture their objectives and Haile Selassie played his last card. He ordered an attack along the entire front. This last desperate action was again made by three columns, it was made under a heavily overcast sky, and it was made with little chance of success. The Ethiopians attacked everywhere and were driven back. It was at this point that the Azebu Galla, who had been on the sidelines, made their allegiance clear and attacked the withdrawing Ethiopians. Haile Selassie's order to retreat was to be late in coming. He placed ''Ras'' Getachew Abate as ''Asmach''. But the Ethiopians had lost many front line commanders, the soldiers had not eaten since before dawn, and discipline had understandably broken down. To make matters even worse, as the Ethiopians fled from the battlefield, they were mercilessly bombed from above by the Italian Royal Air Force and harassed on the ground by the Azebu Galla. Barker 1971, 98.


After the battle

On the evening of 31 March, Haile Selassie sent another message to his wife: :"From five in the morning until seven in the evening our troops attacked the enemy's strong positions, fighting without pause. We also took part in the action and by the grace of God remain unharmed. Our chief and trusted soldiers are dead or wounded. Although our losses are heavy, the enemy too has been injured. The Guard fought magnificently and deserve every praise. The Amhara troops also did their best. Our troops, even though they are not adapted for fighting of the European type, were able to bear comparison throughout the day with the Italian troops." Many of the Ethiopian commanders now prepared to make for their own lands. ''Dejazmach'' Wondosson Kassa, one of ''Ras'' Kassa's sons, was to go to Lasta south of Wag, his grandfather's country. In Lasta the inhabitants were both warlike and loyal to the "Shoan Emperor," Haile Selassie. ''Dejazmach''
Aberra Kassa Aberra Kassa (1905 – 21 December 1936) was an army commander and a member of the Royal family of the Ethiopian Empire. Biography '' Leul'' ''Dejazmach'' ("Prince of the Cadet line") Aberra Kassa was the second son of ''Ras'' ("Duke") Kassa Hai ...
, one of ''Ras'' Kassa's other sons was to go to the Kassa
fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...
of Salale in northern Shoa. ''Ras'' Seyum was ordered to return to Tigray and wage
guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...
. ''Ras'' Kassa and ''Asmach'' Getachew, with the remnants of their own forces and with the remnants of the Guard, accompanied Haile Selassie as he made his way into the friendly highlands of Wag and Lasta and away from the snarling Oromos of Raya Azebo.


Retreat

On the night of 2 April, the Emperor finally ordered a retreat. The retreating columns set off before dawn the next day towards Lake Hashenge and the highlands of Korem. Haile Selassie, wearing a
pith helmet The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi) is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native '' salak ...
, rode a white horse and the retreat was initially not chaotic. In the early morning, circumstances changed as two latent threats materialized. The Azebo Oromos started attacking the flanks and Italian aircraft arrived. The Imperial Guard, as part of the rear guard commanded by ''Asmach'' Getachew, lost more men over the next two days than were lost during the battle.Mockler, p. 121 Late on 3 April, the Ethiopian columns reached Korem and the relative safety of the highlands. It was now decided that the columns would be dispersed. As a result, all semblance of order and organization were lost. In the early morning of 4 April, the battle weary and thirsty survivors of the Emperor's army struggled towards Lake Ashangi. Roughly 20,000 Ethiopians crossed the open plain towards Lake Ashangi and, due to brutal attacks from the Azebo Oromos and due to near continuous attacks from the air, thousands would be lost before they got close to the lake's shore. Worse, the water of Lake Ashangi had been sprayed with deadly chemicals by the Italian Royal Air Force and was poisoned by the time the Emperor's army arrived. Late on 4 April, Haile Selassie looked with despair upon the horrific sight of the dead bodies of much of his army ringing the poisoned lake.


Pilgrimage to Lalibella and plan to stand at Dessie

It was believed among the Ethiopians that it might be possible to make a stand at Dessie. The
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...
Asfa Wossen had been sent there to raise a new army. With the Crown Prince in Dessie were ''Shum'' Wadajo Ali and ''Fitawrari'' Fikremariam. Wadajo Ali was the "real" Governor of
Wollo Wollo ( Amharic: ወሎ) was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed part of the present day Amhara, Afar, and Tigray regions. During the Middle Ages this region was known as Bete Amhara and had Amhara kings. Bete Amhara had ...
and Fikremariam commanded the Guard and the
Shewa Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Add ...
n garrison at Dessie. Ammunition and supplies were accumulated in anticipation of protracted operations in the north.Mockler, p. 122 Before getting to Dessie, the Emperor decided to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of
Lalibella Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important ...
. Included in the Emperor's retinue was Coptic '' Abuna'' Petros, Etchage Gabre Giyorgis, ''Ras'' Kassa, ''Dejazmach''
Adafersaw Yenadu Adefrsew Yenadu (1873–1950) was an army commander, a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire, and a patriot. Biography Adefrsew Yenadu was the son of ''Ras'' Yenadu. He was a young favorite of Emperor Menelik II. In 1896, during the F ...
, ''Dejazmach'' Wondosson Kassa, and ''Dejazmach'' Aberra Kassa. From 12 AprilBarker, p. 106 the Emperor spent three days there in prayer.Mockler, p. 123 On 15 April, Haile Selassie left Lalibella and rejoined his army as it continued its plodding march towards Dessie. At
Magdala Magdala (Aramaic: מגדלא, ''Magdala'', meaning "tower"; Hebrew: , ''Migdal''; ar, المجدل, ''al-Majdal'') was an ancient Jewish city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, north of Tiberias. In the Babylonian Talmud it is known as Magda ...
, the Emperor was to learn that the Crown Prince had abandoned Dessie on 14 April without firing a shot. He also learned that the city was already occupied by the Eritreans. The Emperor's column turned towards Worra Ilu, but runners then brought the news that Worra Ilu had fallen too. By forced march, the Emperor and his party made their way to Fikke in Salale. On 20 April, Marshal Badoglio flew to Dessie. He noted great strips of cloth stretched across the decorated streets. On the cloth, the local population had written: "The Hawk has flown." On 26 April, when Badoglio launched his " March of the Iron Will" towards Addis Ababa, he faced no meaningful Ethiopian resistance. Barker 1971, 109.


Addis Ababa

From Fikke, Haile Selassie made his way towards Addis Ababa. By 1 May, he had arrived in the capital. This was one month after the Battle of Maychew. With him were ''Ras'' Kassa and ''Asmach'' Getachew. When the Emperor arrived, he found a city in a state of near panic. Mockler, 133.


See also

* Ethiopian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian War * Army of the Ethiopian Empire * List of Second Italo-Ethiopian War weapons of Ethiopia *
Italian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian War The Italian order of battle for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War on 8 October 1935. The Ethiopian order of battle is listed separately. ''Comando Supremo Africa Orientale'' Commander: General Emilio De Bono to November 1935, Field Marshal Pietro Ba ...
*
Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manf ...
*
List of Italian military equipment in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War This is a list of military equipment used by Italy during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Weapons * List of Second Italo-Ethiopian War weapons of Italy This is a list of weapons used by the Italian Regio Esercito during the Second Italo-Ethi ...


References

;Footnotes ;Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Maychew Maychew Maychew Maychew 1936 Maychew 1936 Maychew 1936 Tigray Region March 1936 events