The last italian unit in East Africa

[Nadir Shah]

Hello,
What was the last Italian unit in East Africa, which surrendered to British? Were there any attempts to organize guerilla warefare (like Gideon Force) by Italians in Ethiopia? How such isolated (if any) units maintained contact with Italy?
Best regards
Nadir Shah

[Lupo Solitario]

Hello,
What was the last Italian unit in East Africa, which surrendered to British? Were there any attempts to organize guerilla warefare (like Gideon Force) by Italians in Ethiopia? How such isolated (if any) units maintained contact with Italy?
Best regards
Nadir Shah

shortly:

-the last italian organized resistance ceased at Gondar in November 1941. Italian units had no more the aspect of regular formations
-a guerrilia warfare operated in Eritrea between 1942 and 1943. One of the leaders was the known officer Amedeo Guillet, known as "Commander Satan"
-until was possible keeping some territory under italian control it was possible having an air route. After that, no contact...

[Nadir Shah]

Thanks a lot Lupo,
Contuing this interesting subject, how regular were air flights from Italy to Italian East Africa during war. What did they deliver? Were there flights from North Africa or from Rodos? Post ? New orders? New officers? Was there any attempt to send ship or submarine? Was any commander evacuated this way to Italy?
Cheers

Nadir

[Lupo Solitario]

Thanks a lot Lupo,
Contuing this interesting subject, how regular were air flights from Italy to Italian East Africa during war. What did they deliver? Were there flights from North Africa or from Rodos? Post ? New orders? New officers? Was there any attempt to send ship or submarine? Was any commander evacuated this way to Italy?
Cheers

Nadir

God, data are scarce, anyway...Flights were quite regular, but I have not a statistic at hands, and deliver...a bit of all. More materials than personnel anyway. It's usually told that they reached to send also fighter planes. Flights Started from Lybia, I believe italians had prepared a support airfield somewhere in the desert. No contact thru sea, there had been some effort to push Japan to send supllies to AOI but without many results. I know of at least one general sent back to Italy after a strange episode.

Really few data, anyway
Bye

[Nadir Shah]

Lupo,
It is very interesting stuff. I appreciate your quick reply. I read that after campaign in Ethiopia was over, Italian plane was sent to distribute some leaflets over Massua.
Thank you

[TISO]

It's usually told that they reached to send also fighter planes.

Transport aircraft did deliver some Fiat Cr-42 fighters. Photo of loaded Falco is in the book Luftkrieg 1939-45 by Piekalkewicz.

I know of at least one general sent back to Italy after a strange episode.

Pleeeeease could you give some details?

[Lupo Solitario]

I know of at least one general sent back to Italy after a strange episode.

Pleeeeease could you give some details?

It's a curios history: In short, as reported in Del Boca books, in december 1940 a british force defeated easily italians at El Uach in Somalia forcing italians to retreat on Juba river line.
The italian viceroy, Amedeo d'Aosta, flew to Mogadishu where met the sector commander, Gen. Gustavo Pesenti. Either than defending his work, Gen. Pesenti made a strange talk to Viceroy: he suggests that empire can't be defended. Better calling for a separate armistice and passing on british side. If Rome had refused, this could have been the first pace for an antifascist takeone in Italy.
Amedeo answers he would never been a traitor, removes Pesenti and send him in Italy with first plane.

Ah, some details on sendings: flights started from Tripoli or Benghazi, made a stop at Cufra oasis and arrived in Eritrea. Italians reached to send in AOI 23 bombers SM79 and 51 fighters CR42.
Missions stopped after loss of Cufra in April 1941 but some long range transport reached to arrive at Gondar til the last battle, overall with medicines and mail supplies.

[DrG]

Besides the well known actions by Amedeo Guillet's unit, there were other small resistance groups.
On 6 Sept. 1941 some members of the Fascist Party founded the secret society "Figli d'Italia" ("Sons of Italy"). Meanwhile Maj. Lucchetti created a "Fronte di Resistenza" ("Resistance Front") with the aim of cohordinating the guerrilla groups already active in some occupied zones and to start an Italo-Ethiopian mixed resistance, with the support of those local chief that were against the Britons (like the governors of Dire Daua, ligg Kebret Astakie, and of Harar, Andargacciù Massai); but Lucchetti was arrested in Oct. 1942. It has been proposed a total of 7,000 people active in resistance, but almost certainly it's inflated. Anyway, the band of Maj. Gobbi fought in the region of Dessié; the most interesting, in my opinion, was the action of Gen. of the MVSN Muratori, who was able to start the rebellion of the Azebò Galla, a people fiercely opposing the rule of the Ethiopians of Amara and Scioa (the only "true" Ethiopians, ruling and exploiting a series of peoples, often pagan or muslim, living in the regions conquered in the late XIX century by Menelik II). The revolt was suppressed only at the beginning of 1943 (after about a year), and the Ethiopians needed also the use of a few British bombers flying from Aden. The band of Lt.Col. of Carabinieri Calderari was active in the area of Omo Bottego-Baccano at the beginning of 1942; Col. Di Marco in Ogaden; Col. Ruglio in Dancalia; there was also the band of blackshirts led by Centurion of the MVSN De Varda. In Amba Auda, near Saganeiti, a group of Navy officers managed to use a radio station to communicate with the Maristat office in Italy (I don't know how long this has happened, but it seems only for a brief time).
In Eritrea was active the group of Cap. of Vessel Paolo Aloisi and of Seniore of the MVSN Luigi Cristiani; the latter was captured and sentenced to death, but the execution was not made thanks to the bishop of Asmara, Marinoni.
In Aug. 1942 the female doctor Rosa Dainelli managed to cause the explosion of the most important British ammo depot in Addis Abeba. The Capt. of the SIM (the intelligence service of the Italian Army) De Martini was active in espionage, managing to send info to Italy, and in sabotage actions. He was captured in Dancalia in July 1941 after the death of Cap. Bellia and Lt. Paoletti, but managed to escape; he then armed some arabic small ships (sambuques) to attack the cabotage along the coast of Eritrea. After WW2 he was decorated with the Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare (the highest Italian military medal).
At the beginning of 1943, after the defeat of El Alamein, it became clear that there weren't hopes for help coming from North Africa down the Nile valley, and thus the resistance ceased to fight. It seems that the last one who surrendered was the Lt. Col. of Bersaglieri Nino Tramonti.

But meanwhile there were other men active in Ethiopia: Lt. Michele Ricci, Giuseppe Fabbri and Dr. Eugenio Pisano (and, of course, Maj. Lucchetti). They kept contacts with the Negus Hailé Selassié through the Ethiopian Lorenzo Taezaz; Fabbri was even the advisor of Taezaz during the negotiations for the Anglo-Ethiopian agreement of 31 March 1942. Mussolini was informed of these negotiations through Renato Piacentini, a diplomat who was repatriated in July 1942. According to the testimonies of the 4 men that I've mentioned, the Negus, if the Axis had reached Ethiopia, was ready to accept an Italian protectorate with these conditions:
- a total amnesty for all the Ethiopians charged or sentenced by Italy
- presence of Ethiopians in all the levels of the administration
- partecipation of Hailé Selassié to the government of the protectorate, according to future agreements.
It should be noted that already in April 1936 Mussolini had proposed an Italian protectorate on part of Ethiopia, leaving to Hailé Selassié the control of the region of Scioa. If anybody is interested I can post the map of that older proposal.

[Staforlife]

I have received information about a service medal that reportedly belonged to an Italian officer for the Ethopian Campaign. A search for information about the medal lead me to this discussion. Perhaps one of you would be able to confirm and further describe the medal, based on the following description?

THe ribbon is orange with medium width white stripes (three down the middle) and a thin white line along each side. The orange background stripes are slightly wider than the medium white ones.
The medal itself is hung on a ring that is secured to a metal hook. The medal is covered in enamel, with four white labeled "tabs" forming the four ends of a cross centered on a circle with a blue background and a thin red border. The top extension of the cross says Libia, right one says Somalia, bottom one says Benadir and left one says Eritrea. Centered on the blue disc is a recumbant lion surmounted by a winged bird (eagle?) that carries a red shield with a white cross. At least this is how it appears to me.

I would be most grateful for any help you may offer.

Laura

Italian service medal? What is the appropriate term for it? Italian military award? Ethopian campaign WWII?

[Spirow Ewes]

It should be noted that already in April 1936 Mussolini had proposed an Italian protectorate on part of Ethiopia, leaving to Hailé Selassié the control of the region of Scioa. If anybody is interested I can post the map of that older proposal.

Is your offer still on three years later?

[DrG]

It should be noted that already in April 1936 Mussolini had proposed an Italian protectorate on part of Ethiopia, leaving to Hailé Selassié the control of the region of Scioa. If anybody is interested I can post the map of that older proposal.

Is your offer still on three years later?

Of course, sir. This week end I will post the map and a summary of the, somewhat outstanding story of Italy-UK-France-Ethiopia secret negotiations during the Ethiopian War. I must admit I was deeply disappointed by the fact that nobody showed any interest in my offer, thus I thank you for this, although quite late, reply.

[Spirow Ewes]

somewhat outstanding story of Italy-UK-France-Ethiopia secret negotiations during the Ethiopian War.

WOW

[DrG]

During the War of Ethiopia there were several attempts to reach a negotiated peace; Pierre Laval, after the secret anti-German agreement with Italy made by Marshal Badoglio and Gen. Gamelin, was a supporter of such a result. In UK there were some circles who followed the same line; their most prominent members were Sir Samuel Hoare, who knew Mussolini very well since the beginning of World War I (he was the British agent who paid the future Duce, then the editor-in-chief of the "Popolo d'Italia" and one of the most important interventist in Italy), Sir Austen Chamberlain (whose wife was in personal contact with the Duce, who always kept a photo of Sir Chamberlain on his desk), Winston Churchill (who had written some articles for the "Popolo d'Italia").

It was in this climate that the "Laval-Hoare Plan" was born; its clauses included some annexions by Italy (see map; note: scroll down to read the legend), the creation of a large area of exclusive Italian economic control in South Ethiopia (see map), in exchange for the opening of a corridor to the sea for Ethiopia, that would have used the port of Assab.

Laval-Hoare Plan, Dec. 1935

Etiopia 1935.jpg (128.12 KiB) Viewed 4736 times

What is more interesting, is that these same clauses (plus some monetary rewards for the Negus, the presence of Italian advisors for his govern and a very interesting "plus": an agreed upon battle, in which the Negus would have been defeated, in order to give him the excuse to accept this agreement in front of his ferocious "ras"; it should be noted that the first thing made by Hailè Selassiè after the Italian attack was to murder his ambitious ras Ligg Yasu) were repeated in the secret contract with Chuckry Jacir Bey, a Christian Copt from an important Palestinian family, who was a personal friend of the abuna Cyrillos V (chief of the Ethiopian Church), of ras Mulughietà (Ethiopian Minister of War) and knew the Italian diplomat count Senni. Through Senni, he entered in contact with the SIM (the secret service of the Regio Esercito), led by Gen. Mario Roatta; Roatta oredered Lt.Col. Emilio Faldella to follow the negotiations.
On 11 Dec. 1935 Faldella, Senni and Consul of the MVSN Vezio Lucchini signed a contract that was almost a perfect copy of the "Laval-Hoare Plan"; Jacir Bey, in order to get his reward, had to persuade the Negus to accept this offer. If he had failed, he should have kidnapped him using his airplane.

It should be noted that the "Laval-Hoare Plan" was indeed written mostly by Laval during his phone conversations with Mussolini himself. It failed because the British anti-Italian circles, led by Anthony Eden, had a very subtile idea: they leaked its text to the press, which started a violent campaign against what was, pratically, a reward for the Italian attacker. For this reason, on 18 Dec. 1935 Hoare was forced to leave the British Govern.

Meanwhile, the mission by Jacir Bey failed: Hailè Selassiè, at first, hoped to win the war or, at least, to stop the Italians as long as possible so that the League of Nations would have extended the embargo also to the extremely important oil and fuel. The Negus hopes were frustrated on the battlefield and in the diplomatic circles; these latter ones were very alarmed by Hitler's occupation of Rhineland on 7 March 1936 and, expecially in the French govern (but not in the press), appeasement with Italy was as strong as ever.

At the beginning of April 1936, when the Italian victory was very near, Mussolini decided to make a last offer: Italy would have annexed Northern and South Eastern Ethiopia, with the rest under its protectorate, League of Nations mandate or nominally indipendent (see map; note: scroll down to see the legend). This plan failed anyway, because of the British opposition, this time followed also by the new French govern, led by the leftist Léon Blum, enemy of Fascism despite the common opposition to Germany's rearmament and expansionism towards Austria.

Mussolini's offer, April 1936

Etiopia 1936.jpg (143.11 KiB) Viewed 4732 times

It should be noted that the Jacir Bey affair was kept as secret as possible and was discovered only during the "Roatta trial" of the end of 1944; the documents regarding it have been partially stolen both from the Tribunal of Perugia (that reviewed the case in 1949) and from the personal archive of Gaetano Salvemini, the antifascit historian who, first, studied this case.

Bibliography:

Bandini, Franco, "Gli italiani in Africa", Longanesi, 1971
Bandini, Franco, "Vita e morte segreta di Mussolini", Mondadori, 1978
Bandini, Franco, "Il cono d'ombra", SugarCo, 1990
Conti, Clara, "Servizio segreto", De Leuigi, 1946
De Felice, Renzo, "Mussolini il duce. Gli anni del consenso 1929-1936", Einaudi, 1974
Roatta Mario, "Sciacalli addosso al SIM", Corso, 1955

Cheers,
Guido

[DrG]

Addendum:
1) The source of the maps is the book by De Felice cited in the bibliography.
2) Prof. Salvemini planned to write a book about the War of Ethiopia, and collected many documents, but then he didn't write it; anyway, some of the information that he found were reported in his "Prelude to World War Two", an highly tendentious and factious book, but, at least, freely avaible in English language: http://www.archive.org/details/preludet ... a017649mbp.

Guido

[UMachine]

Very interesting,DrG.How different things might have been.