First Battle of Tembien
Encyclopedia
The First Battle of Tembien was a battle fought on the northern front of what was known as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
. This battle consisted of attacks and counterattacks by Italian forces under Marshal
Pietro Badoglio
and Ethiopian forces under Ras Kassa Haile Darge
. This battle was primarily fought around Warieu Pass in what was then the Tembien
province of Ethiopia
.
Emilio De Bono
advanced into Ethiopia from Eritrea
without a declaration of war
. De Bono had a force of approximately 100,000 Italian soldiers and 25,000 Eritrean soldiers to advance towards Addis Ababa
. In December, after a brief period of inactivity and minor setbacks for the Italians, De Bono was replaced by Badoglio.
Haile Selassie launched the Christmas Offensive
late in the year to test Badoglio. Initially successful, the goals of this offensive were overly ambitious.
As the progress of the "Christmas Offensive" slowed, Italian plans to renew the advance on the "northern front" got under way. In addition to being granted permission to use poison gas, Badoglio received additional ground forces. The elements of the Italian III Corps and the Italian IV Corps arrived in Eritrea during early 1936. By mid-January, Badoglio was ready to renew the advance on the Ethiopian capital. Badoglio overwhelmed the armies of ill-armed and uncoordinated Ethiopian warriors with mustard gas, tanks, and heavy artillery.
was impatient for an Italian offensive to get under way and for the Ethiopians to be swept from the field. In response to his frequent exhortations, Badoglio cabled Mussolini: "It has always been my rule to be meticulous in preparation so that I may be swift in action."
The Ethiopians facing the Italians were in three groupings. In the center, near Abiy Addi
and along the Beles River
in the Tembien, were Ras Kassa with approximately 40,000 men and Ras Seyum Mangasha
with about 30,000 men. On the Ethiopian right was Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu
and his army of approximately 80,000 men in positions atop Amba Aradam
. Ras Imru Haile Selassie
with approximately 40,000 men was on the Ethiopian left in the area around Seleh Leha
in the Shire Province.
Badoglio had five army corps at his disposal. On his right, he had the Italian IV Corps and the Italian II Corps facing Ras Imru in the Shire. In the Italian center was the Eritrean Corps facing Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum in the Tembien. Facing Ras Mulugeta atop Amba Aradam was the Italian I Corps and the Italian III Corps.
Initially, Badoglio saw the destruction of Ras Mulugeta's army as his first priority. Mulugeta's force would have to be dislodged from its strong positions on Amba Aradam in order for the Italians to continue the advance towards Addis Ababa. But Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoumm were exerting such pressure from the Tembien that Badoglio decided that he would have to deal with them first. If the Ethiopian center was successful, the I Corps and III Corps facing Ras Mulugeta would be cut off from reinforcement and resupply.
On 19 January, the day before the offensive in the Tembien began, Badoglio ordered General Ettore Bastico
, commander of the III Corps, to leave Makale
and occupy Nebri and Negada. By doing this, Badoglio effectively closed the road to the Tembian to Ras Mulugeta, preventing him from sending reinforcements to Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum.
advanced in two columns through the area around Abaro Pass. On the right of the Eritrean Corps, the 2nd "28th October" Blackshirt Division
advanced towards the torrent that was the Beles River. The Italian III Corps held Nebri and Negada.
After some initial confusion where forces on both sides ended up in temporarily isolated positions, the Ethiopians managed to push the advancing Italians back. By the end of the day, the 2nd Eritrean Division fell back to positions around Abaro Pass and the 2nd Blackshirt Division on the Italian right was driven back to the Warieu Pass where it and the garrison were surrounded and besieged. For three days the Ethiopians launched wave after wave of attacks against the Italians cut off at Warieu Pass.
Badoglio moved up the 1st Eritrean Division
to join the 2nd Eritrean Division at Abaro Pass. Badoglio then ordered the commander of the 2nd Eritrean Division, General Achille Vaccarisi, to advance on the Warieu Pass and relieve the besieged Italians there.
By the afternoon of 22 January, the Blackshirt division and the garrison at Warieu Pass were still cut off, the fury of the Ethiopian attacks was reaching a crescendo, and Badoglio anxiously drew up plans for a general withdrawal. There is no way to know what the result would have been if he had attempted to withdraw 70,000 men, 14,000 animals, and 300 guns of the Italian I Corps and III Corps down the single road from Makale with the forces of Ras Mulugeta at their rear.
On the third day, the Italians at the Warieu Pass were relieved by Vaccarisi and his Eritreans. According to the Italians, the Ethiopians melted away when the relief force appeared. According to the Ras Kassa, the Italian Royal Air Force
(Regia Aeronautica Italiana) saved the day for Badoglio. His men could no longer stand up to the deadly clouds of mustard gas rained down non-stop on the roads his troops took, the base camps where they gathered, and any area surrounding them.
followed next.
Roughly one month later, the Second Battle of Tembien
would prove to be a more decisive encounter for Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum.
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
. This battle consisted of attacks and counterattacks by Italian forces under Marshal
Marshal of Italy
Marshal of Italy was a rank in the Italian Royal Army . Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring Generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943...
Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
and Ethiopian forces under Ras Kassa Haile Darge
Kassa Haile Darge
Ras Kassa Haile Darge GCVO, GBE , was a Shewan nobleman, the son of Haile Wolde Kiros of Lasta and Tisseme Darge, and grandson of Ras Darge Sahle Selassie the brother of Menelik II's father....
. This battle was primarily fought around Warieu Pass in what was then the Tembien
Tembien
Tembien is one of the former provinces of Ethiopia. It is a mountainous area of that country.The name Tembien has also been used for:*Tembien, an Italian 600-Serie Adua class submarine sunk in World War II...
province of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
Background
On 3 October 1935, GeneralGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Emilio De Bono
Emilio De Bono
Emilio De Bono was an Italian General, fascist activist, Marshal, and member of the Fascist Grand Council . De Bono fought in the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, and the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.-Early life:De Bono was born in Cassano d'Adda...
advanced into Ethiopia from Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
without a declaration of war
Declaration of war
A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
. De Bono had a force of approximately 100,000 Italian soldiers and 25,000 Eritrean soldiers to advance towards Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. In December, after a brief period of inactivity and minor setbacks for the Italians, De Bono was replaced by Badoglio.
Haile Selassie launched the Christmas Offensive
Ethiopian Christmas Offensive
The Ethiopian Christmas Offensive took place during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The Ethiopian offensive was more of a counteroffensive to an ever slowing Italian offensive which started the war.-Background:...
late in the year to test Badoglio. Initially successful, the goals of this offensive were overly ambitious.
As the progress of the "Christmas Offensive" slowed, Italian plans to renew the advance on the "northern front" got under way. In addition to being granted permission to use poison gas, Badoglio received additional ground forces. The elements of the Italian III Corps and the Italian IV Corps arrived in Eritrea during early 1936. By mid-January, Badoglio was ready to renew the advance on the Ethiopian capital. Badoglio overwhelmed the armies of ill-armed and uncoordinated Ethiopian warriors with mustard gas, tanks, and heavy artillery.
Preparation
In early January 1936, the Ethiopian forces were in the hills everywhere overlooking the Italian positions and launching attacks against them on a regular basis. Italian dictator Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
was impatient for an Italian offensive to get under way and for the Ethiopians to be swept from the field. In response to his frequent exhortations, Badoglio cabled Mussolini: "It has always been my rule to be meticulous in preparation so that I may be swift in action."
The Ethiopians facing the Italians were in three groupings. In the center, near Abiy Addi
Abiy Addi
Abiy Addi is a town in north central Ethiopia, and was capital of the former province of Tembien before that province was incorporated into Tigray...
and along the Beles River
Beles River
Beles River is a river of western Ethiopia. A tributary of the Abay river , the Beles rises in Dangur woreda to flow in a south-west direction to its confluence. Its catchment area amounts to about 14,200 square kilometers....
in the Tembien, were Ras Kassa with approximately 40,000 men and Ras Seyum Mangasha
Seyum Mangasha
Seyum Mangasha KBE was an army commander and a member of the Royal family of the Ethiopian Empire.-Biography:...
with about 30,000 men. On the Ethiopian right was Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu
Mulugeta Yeggazu
Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu, was an Ethiopian government official. He served as Imperial Fitawrari, Commander of the Mahel Sefari of the Ethiopian Army during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.-Biography:...
and his army of approximately 80,000 men in positions atop Amba Aradam
Amba Aradam
Amba Aradam is a mountain in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, between Mek'ele and Addis Abeba, it has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of...
. Ras Imru Haile Selassie
Imru Haile Selassie
Leul Ras Imru Haile Selassie was an Ethiopian noble, soldier, and diplomat. He was also the cousin of Emperor Haile Selassie.-Biography:...
with approximately 40,000 men was on the Ethiopian left in the area around Seleh Leha
Seleh Leha
Seleh Leha is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Mirabawi Zone of the Tigray Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2107 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Medebay Zana woreda.This town serves as the primary market center for much...
in the Shire Province.
Badoglio had five army corps at his disposal. On his right, he had the Italian IV Corps and the Italian II Corps facing Ras Imru in the Shire. In the Italian center was the Eritrean Corps facing Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum in the Tembien. Facing Ras Mulugeta atop Amba Aradam was the Italian I Corps and the Italian III Corps.
Initially, Badoglio saw the destruction of Ras Mulugeta's army as his first priority. Mulugeta's force would have to be dislodged from its strong positions on Amba Aradam in order for the Italians to continue the advance towards Addis Ababa. But Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoumm were exerting such pressure from the Tembien that Badoglio decided that he would have to deal with them first. If the Ethiopian center was successful, the I Corps and III Corps facing Ras Mulugeta would be cut off from reinforcement and resupply.
On 19 January, the day before the offensive in the Tembien began, Badoglio ordered General Ettore Bastico
Ettore Bastico
Ettore Bastico was an Italian military officer before and during World War II. He held high commands during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War , the Spanish Civil War, and the North African Campaign....
, commander of the III Corps, to leave Makale
Mek'ele
Mek'ele , also transliterated as Makale, is a city in northern Ethiopia and the capital of the Tigray Region. It is located some 650 kilometers north of the capital, Addis Ababa, at latitude and longitude with an elevation of 2084 meters above sea level...
and occupy Nebri and Negada. By doing this, Badoglio effectively closed the road to the Tembian to Ras Mulugeta, preventing him from sending reinforcements to Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum.
Battle
On 20 January, Badoglio launched the First Battle of the Tembien. On the left of the Eritrean Corps, the 2nd Eritrean DivisionItalian 2nd Eritrean Division
The Italian 2nd Eritrean Division, also known as the Second Eritrean Division or II Division Indigini , was an Italian Military division used in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War in 1935. It was formed from the Eritrean ascari of the Battalion indigeni who provided the regular colonial forces of...
advanced in two columns through the area around Abaro Pass. On the right of the Eritrean Corps, the 2nd "28th October" Blackshirt Division
2nd Blackshirt Division (28 October) (Italy)
The 2nd Blackshirt Division 28 Ottobre was an Italian Camicie Nere militia unit formed for the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.It was named 28 ottobre in honor of the Fascist March on Rome ....
advanced towards the torrent that was the Beles River. The Italian III Corps held Nebri and Negada.
After some initial confusion where forces on both sides ended up in temporarily isolated positions, the Ethiopians managed to push the advancing Italians back. By the end of the day, the 2nd Eritrean Division fell back to positions around Abaro Pass and the 2nd Blackshirt Division on the Italian right was driven back to the Warieu Pass where it and the garrison were surrounded and besieged. For three days the Ethiopians launched wave after wave of attacks against the Italians cut off at Warieu Pass.
Badoglio moved up the 1st Eritrean Division
Italian 1st Eritrean Division
The First Eritrean Division or I Division Indigeni was organized for service in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War in 1935. It was formed from the Eritrean ascari of the Battalion indigeni who provided the regular colonial forces of Italian Eritrea.- Order of battle :1st Native Division - Gen....
to join the 2nd Eritrean Division at Abaro Pass. Badoglio then ordered the commander of the 2nd Eritrean Division, General Achille Vaccarisi, to advance on the Warieu Pass and relieve the besieged Italians there.
By the afternoon of 22 January, the Blackshirt division and the garrison at Warieu Pass were still cut off, the fury of the Ethiopian attacks was reaching a crescendo, and Badoglio anxiously drew up plans for a general withdrawal. There is no way to know what the result would have been if he had attempted to withdraw 70,000 men, 14,000 animals, and 300 guns of the Italian I Corps and III Corps down the single road from Makale with the forces of Ras Mulugeta at their rear.
On the third day, the Italians at the Warieu Pass were relieved by Vaccarisi and his Eritreans. According to the Italians, the Ethiopians melted away when the relief force appeared. According to the Ras Kassa, the Italian Royal Air Force
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
(Regia Aeronautica Italiana) saved the day for Badoglio. His men could no longer stand up to the deadly clouds of mustard gas rained down non-stop on the roads his troops took, the base camps where they gathered, and any area surrounding them.
Aftermath
By the morning of 24 January, the First Battle of Tembien came to an end. While the armies of Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum had retreated from the area around Warieu Pass, they were not destroyed and they still held the Tembien. In addition, the armies of Ras Imru and Ras Mulugeta were fully intact. However, the threat the armies of the Ethiopian center posed to the I Corps and III Corps was neutralized and now Badoglio was free to turn his attention to the Ethiopian right and Ras Mulugeta. The Battle of Amba AradamBattle of Amba Aradam
The Battle of Amba Aradam was a battle fought on the northern front of what was known as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. This battle consisted of attacks and counterattacks by Italian forces under Marshal of Italy Pietro Badoglio and Ethiopian forces under Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu...
followed next.
Roughly one month later, the Second Battle of Tembien
Second Battle of Tembien
The Second Battle of Tembien was a battle fought on the northern front of what was known as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. This battle consisted of attacks by Italian forces under Marshal Pietro Badoglio on Ethiopian forces under Ras Kassa Haile Darge and Ras Seyoum Mangasha...
would prove to be a more decisive encounter for Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum.
See also
- Ethiopian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian WarEthiopian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian WarEthiopian forces in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War besides the Central Army were mobilized from various provinces under their local leader. According to 1935 Italian intelligence estimates of the Ethiopian provinces and their forces on the eve of hostilities the Ethiopians had an army of 350,000...
- Army of the Ethiopian EmpireArmy of the Ethiopian EmpireArmies of the Ethiopia have existed since earliest times. Ethiopia maintained a sizable contingent of her forces in her Sabbean Garrisons which expanded out to project power over colonies in Yemen and to protect Caravans or trade routes....
- Italian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian WarItalian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian WarThe following is the Italian Order of Battle at the beginning of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War as of October 8, 1935.- Commando Supremo Africa Orientale:Commander: General Emilio De Bono to 11/1935, Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio 11/1935 - 6/1936...
- Royal Italian ArmyRoyal Italian ArmyThe Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...