Mogadishu Cathedral ( Italian : Cattedrale di Mogadiscio ) is a ruined Catholic cathedral located in Mogadishu , Somalia . Between 1928 and 1991, it served as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mogadiscio . Built in 1928 by Italian colonial authorities, much of the building was destroyed in 2008 by al-Shabaab . In 2013, the diocese announced plans to refurbish the building.
134-669: Mogadishu Cathedral was built in 1928 by the Italian authorities in the former Italian Somaliland . Known as the Cattedrale di Mogadiscio , it was constructed in a Norman Gothic style, based on the Cathedral of Cefalù , in Sicily . It was built in nearly six years by the Italian authorities in their former Italian Somaliland, in a central area of the capital not far from the Governor's Palace . Indeed,
268-557: A protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia , which was ruled in the 19th century by the Sultanate of Hobyo and Majeerteen in the north, and in the south by the political entities; Hiraab Imamate and the Geledi Sultanate . Italy gradually secured much of the territory in the 1880s through a series of protection treaties. Starting in the 1890s,
402-628: A 1,200 mi (1,900 km) frontier with the AOI. Platt had 21 companies (4,500 men) of the Sudan Defence Force (SDF) of which five (later six) were organised as motor machine-gun companies. There was no artillery, but the Sudan Horse was converting to a 3.7-inch mountain howitzer battery. The 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment , 1st Battalion Essex Regiment and the 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment , were, in mid-September, incorporated into
536-632: A base to attack Germany through eastern and south-eastern Europe. The conquest of Italian East Africa came second only to the defence of Egypt and the Suez Canal. In August, Wavell ordered for plans to be made quickly to gain control of the Red Sea. He specified a concept of offensive operations from Djibouti to Harar and then Addis Ababa or Kassala to Asmara then Massawa, preferably on both lines simultaneously. Wavell reconnoitred East Africa in January 1940 and
670-615: A conference in Khartoum at the end of October 1940 with Selassie, South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts (an advisor to Churchill), Wavell, Lieutenant-General William Platt and Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham . A plan to attack Ethiopia, including support for Ethiopian irregular forces, was agreed. In November 1940, the British gained an intelligence advantage when the Government Code and Cypher School (GC & CS) at Bletchley Park broke
804-490: A few miles north of Kassala. The same aircraft then proceeded to machine-gun from low level the nearby positions of the Italian Blackshirts and colonial infantry. A few days later, the aircraft bombed the Italian base at Keru , fifty miles east of Kassala. The Commonwealth pilots had the satisfaction of seeing supply dumps, stores and transport enveloped in flame and smoke as they flew away. One morning in mid-December,
938-509: A force of Italian fighters strafed a Rhodesian landing-strip at Wajir near Kassala, where two Hardys were caught on the ground and destroyed; 5,000 US gal (19,000 L; 4,200 imp gal) of fuel were set alight and four Africans were killed and eleven injured fighting the fire. The approaches to the Red Sea through the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb (Gate of Tears Strait)
1072-895: A further advance. After the conquest of British Somaliland the Italians adopted a more defensive posture. In late 1940, Italian forces suffered defeats in the Mediterranean Campaign , the Operation Compass in the Western Desert, the Battle of Britain and in the Greco-Italian War . This prompted General Ugo Cavallero , the new Italian Chief of the Chief of the General Staff in Rome, to adopt
1206-484: A hill overlooking the fort as a flank guard. The troops on the hill covered the advance at 6:40 a.m. of the 3rd Royal Garwhal Rifles followed by the tanks. The Indians reached Gallabat and fought hand-to-hand with the 65th Infantry Division "Granatieri di Savoia" and some Eritrean troops in the fort. At 8:00 a.m. the 25th and 77th Colonial battalions counter-attacked and were repulsed but three British tanks were knocked out by mines and six by mechanical failure caused by
1340-611: A major naval base and port for the Italians. The then Prime Minister of Italy , Benito Mussolini , regarded Greater Somalia ( La Grande Somalia ) as the crown jewel in Italy's colonial empire on the continent. He viewed himself less as an invader than as a liberator of the occupied Somali territories, including the Ogaden region, to which the Ethiopian Empire laid claim. On this basis, he justified his plan to invade Ethiopia. In October 1935,
1474-576: A new strategy in East Africa. In December 1940, Cavallero thought that Italian forces in East Africa should abandon offensive actions against the Sudan and the Suez Canal and concentrate on the defence of the AOI. After Cavallero and Aosta requested permission to withdraw from the Sudanese frontier, the army high command in Rome ordered Italian forces in East Africa to withdraw to better defensive positions. Frusci
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#17328512203131608-584: A non-stop flight from Rome . They were welcomed by the Governor Maurizio Rava and other colonial administrators. The King then traveled to Villabruzzi on 5 November and then returned to Mogadishu, where he celebrated his 65th birthday on 11 November. Following his visit to Italian Somaliland, new maps and 14 stamps were published. To commemorate his visit, an Arch of Triumph was constructed in Mogadishu in 1934. By 1935, Mogadishu began to serve as
1742-498: A notable level of development with a small manufacturing area with agricultural industries (sugar mills, etc.). In the second half of 1940, Italian troops invaded British Somaliland , and ejected the British. The Italians also occupied Kenyan areas bordering Jubaland around the villages of Moyale and Buna . Although the Italian leadership believed were unsure where the British army would land first, Operation Canvas, to capture southern Somalia occurred first in January 1941, whereas
1876-718: A part of the Carabinieri . They were organised into a battalion commanded by Major Alfredo Serranti that defended Culqualber (Ethiopia) for three months until this military unit was destroyed by the Allies . After heavy fighting, all the Italian Carabinieri, including the Somali troops, received full military honors from the British. In 1935, there were over 50,000 Italian settlers living in Italian Somaliland, constituting 5% of
2010-479: A policy of assimilation of the Somalis. Many Somalis were enrolled in the Italian colonial army, and thousands of Italian colonists moved to live in Mogadishu. The city grew in size and some small manufacturing companies opened up. The Italians also settled in agricultural areas around the capital, such as Jowhar and Janale ( Genale ). In 1930, there were 22,000 Italians living in Italian Somaliland, representing 2% of
2144-487: A railway junction at Kassala. The Italians forced the British garrison of 320 men of the SDF and some local police to retire after inflicting casualties of 43 killed and 114 wounded for ten casualties of their own. The Italians also drove a platoon of No 3 Company, Eastern Arab Corps (EAC) of the SDF, from the small fort at Gallabat, just over the border from Metemma , about 200 mi (320 km) south of Kassala and took
2278-537: A shoal and suffered severe damage; the wreck was salvaged later. Documents recovered from Galileo Galilei were used to intercept and damage Torricelli on 21 June. The submarine headed for home but was caught off Perim Island and sunk by Kandahar , Kingston , Khartoum and the sloop Shoreham . Several hours afterwards, a torpedo on Khartoum , damaged by a shell from Torricelli , exploded and caused an uncontrollable fire. Khartoum tried to reach Perim Harbour about 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi) distant but
2412-772: A short way across the Ethiopian border, beyond the Boundary Khor, a dry riverbed with steep banks covered by long grass. Both places were surrounded by field fortifications and Gallabat was held by a colonial infantry battalion. Metemma had two colonial battalions and a banda formation, all under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Castagnola. The 10th Indian Infantry Brigade, a field artillery regiment and B Squadron, 6th RTR with seven Cruiser Mk I (A9) tanks and seven Light Tank Mk VI , attacked Gallabat on 6 November at 5:30 a.m. An RAF contingent of six Wellesley bombers and nine Gloster Gladiator fighters, were thought sufficient to overcome
2546-454: A squadron of five first world war Motoscafo Armato Silurante (MAS, motor torpedo boats ). The Flotilla had eight modern submarines ( Archimede , Galileo Ferraris , Galileo Galilei , Torricelli , Galvani , Guglielmotti , Macallé and Perla ). The flotilla was based at Massawa in Eritrea on the Red Sea. The port linked Axis-occupied Europe and the naval facilities in
2680-553: A threat, Sultan Kenadid was eventually exiled to Aden in Yemen and then to Eritrea . His son Ali Yusuf Kenadid succeeded him on the throne. In 1924, Governor Cesare Maria De Vecchi adopted a policy of disarmentation of the northern Somali sultanates. Sultan Ali Yusuf Kenadid was thereafter in turn exiled. The Dubats colonial troops and the Zaptié gendarmerie were extensively used by De Vecchi during these military campaigns. However, unlike
2814-564: A war of about six months' duration, the submarines denying the Red Sea route to the British. The British had based forces in Egypt since 1882 but these were greatly reduced by the terms of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 . A small British and Commonwealth force garrisoned the Suez Canal and the Red Sea route, which was vital to British communications with its Indian Ocean and Far Eastern territories. In mid-1939, General Archibald Wavell
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#17328512203132948-587: A wing of the Italian Army's Infantry Division, as was the case in Libya and Eritrea . The Zaptié were considered the best: they provided a ceremonial escort for the Italian Viceroy ( Governor ) as well as the territorial police. There were already more than one thousand such soldiers in 1922. In 1941, in Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia, 2,186 Zaptìé plus an additional 500 recruits under training officially constituted
3082-630: Is 15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi) wide. With the Italian declaration of war on 10 June and the loss of French naval support in the Mediterranean after the Armistice of 22 June, the 1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi)-long Red Sea passage to Suez became the main British sea route to the Middle East. South of Suez the British-held Port Sudan, about halfway down on the Sudan coast and
3216-467: Is thought the unit was guilty of severe over-claiming . From November 1940 to early January 1941, Platt put pressure on the Italians along the Ethiopia–Sudan border with patrols and raids by ground troops and aircraft. Hurricanes and more Gladiators began to replace some of the older models. On 6 December, a large concentration of Italian motor transport was bombed and strafed by Commonwealth aircraft
3350-715: The Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali (Royal Corps of Colonial Troops), led by Italian officers and NCOs . With Britain in control of the Suez Canal , the Italian forces were cut off from supplies and reinforcement once hostilities began. On 13 June 1940, an Italian air raid took place on the RAF base at Wajir in Kenya and the air war continued until Italian forces had been pushed back from Kenya and Sudan, through Somaliland, Eritrea and Ethiopia in 1940 and early 1941. The remnants of
3484-865: The Regia Aeronautica . On the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940, East Africa Force (Lieutenant-General Douglas Dickinson) comprised two East African brigades of the King's African Rifles organised as a Northern Brigade and a Southern Brigade with a reconnaissance regiment, a light artillery battery and the 22nd Mountain Battery Royal Indian Artillery (RIA). By March 1940, the KAR strength had reached 883 officers, 1,374 non-commissioned officers and 20,026 African other ranks. Wavell ordered Dickinson to defend Kenya and to pin down as many Italian troops as possible. Dickinson planned to defend Mombasa with
3618-566: The Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) laid plans for an ocean-going "escape fleet" ( Flotta d'evasione ) equipped for service in the tropics. The plans varied from three battleships, an aircraft carrier, twelve cruisers, 36 destroyers and 30 submarines to a more realistic two cruisers, eight destroyers and twelve submarines. Even the lower establishment proved too expensive and in 1940 the Red Sea Flotilla had seven older fleet destroyers ,
3752-782: The Arbegnoch ( Amharic for Patriots). Italian reinforcements arrived in October and patrolled more frequently, just as dissensions among local potentates were reconciled by Sandford's diplomacy. The Frontier Battalion of the Sudan Defence Force, set up in May 1940, was joined at Khartoum by the 2nd Ethiopian and 4th Eritrean battalions, which were raised from émigré volunteers in Kenya. Operational Centres consisting of an officer, five NCOs and several picked Ethiopians were formed and trained in guerrilla warfare to provide leadership cadres and £1 million
3886-668: The Società Geografica Italiana in 1876. The next year, the travel journal L’Esploratore was established by Manfredo Camperio. The "Società di Esplorazioni Commerciali in Africa" was created in 1879, with the Italian industrial establishment involved as well. The "Club Africano", which three years later became the "Società Africana D’Italia", was also established in Somalia in 1880. The first recorded act of Somali resistance began in October 1893, when Vincenzo Filonardi disembarked at
4020-445: The 17 Italian fighters and 32 bombers believed to be in range. The infantry assembled 1–2 mi (1.6–3.2 km) from Gallabat, whose garrison was unaware that an attack was coming, until the RAF bombed the fort and put the wireless out of action. The field artillery began a simultaneous bombardment; after an hour the gunners changed targets and bombarded Metemma. The previous night, the 4th Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment occupied
4154-540: The 1959 parliamentary election , SYL would capture an even greater share of votes by winning 75.58% of the total ballot. Italian was an official language in Italian Somaliland during the Fiduciary Mandate, as well as in the first years of independence. By 1952, the majority of Somalis had some understanding of the language. On 1 July 1960, the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) and
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4288-399: The 1st South African Division was formed and by the end of 1940, about 27,000 South Africans were in East Africa, in the 1st South African Division, the 11th (African) Division and the 12th (African) Division. Each South African brigade group consisted of three rifle battalions, an armoured car company and signal, engineer and medical units. By July, under the terms of a war contingency plan,
4422-510: The 28th Destroyer Flotilla comprising HMS Khartoum , Kimberley , Kingston and Kandahar and three sloops from the Mediterranean. The force was to conduct a blockade Italian East Africa ( Operation Begum ), attack the Red Sea Flotilla and protect the sea route from Aden to Suez. On 6 June, the Azio-class minelayer Ostia used 470 mines to lay eight barrages off Massawa and
4556-505: The 29th Indian Infantry Brigade , 10th Indian Infantry Brigade and 9th Indian Infantry Brigade respectively of the 5th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Lewis Heath ) when it arrived. The 4th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Noel Beresford-Peirse ) was transferred from Egypt in December. The British had an assortment of armoured cars and B Squadron 4th Royal Tank Regiment (4th RTR) with Matilda infantry tanks joined
4690-579: The 2nd (West Africa) Infantry Brigade , from the Gold Coast ( Ghana ) and the 1st (West Africa) Infantry Brigade from Nigeria , were provided for service in Kenya by the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF). The 1st (West African) Brigade, the two KAR brigades and some South African units, formed the 11th (African) Division. The 12th (African) Division had a similar formation with the 2nd (West African) Brigade. At dawn on 17 June,
4824-759: The Abyssinian campaign ) was fought in East Africa during the Second World War by Allies of World War II , mainly from the British Empire , against Italy and its colony of Italian East Africa , between June 1940 and November 1941. The British Middle East Command with troops from the United Kingdom , South Africa , British India , Uganda Protectorate , Kenya , Somaliland , West Africa , Northern and Southern Rhodesia , Sudan and Nyasaland participated in
4958-522: The Amministrazione fiduciaria italiana della Somalia (AFIS) began its rule. A deployment of 6,500 troops landed in Somalia to assist the establishment of AFIS under the leadership of Giovanni Fornari . Fornari's three year tenure would mark the most difficult years of the Trusteeship. The first half of AFIS's decade long rule would be marked by animosity and conflict between the Italian authorities and
5092-586: The Arbegnoch north of Lake Tana to spring several ambushes on the Metemma–Gondar road, and the Italian garrison at Wolkait was withdrawn in February 1941. On 3 August 1940, the Italians invaded with two colonial brigades, four cavalry squadrons, 24 M11/39 medium tanks and L3/35 tankettes, several armoured cars, 21 howitzer batteries, pack artillery and air support. The British had a garrison of two companies of
5226-467: The Bimaal and Wa'dan revolts near Merca marked the beginning of Somali resistance to Italian expansion , coinciding with the rise of the anti-colonial Dervish movement in the north. By the end of 1927, following a two year military campaign against Somali rebels, Rome finally asserted authority over the entirety of Italian Somaliland. In 1936, the region was integrated into Italian East Africa as
5360-721: The Commander-in-Chief, East Indies , Vice-Admiral Ralph Leatham , the Commander-in-Chief India , General Robert Cassels , the Inspector General, African Colonial Forces, Major-General Douglas Dickinson and the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East , Air Chief Marshal William Mitchell . (French divisions in Tunisia faced the Italian 5th Army on the western Libyan border, until
5494-663: The Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II and Italy signed the Treaty of Wuchale . Italy gained control of the ports of the Benadir coastal area with the concession of a small strip of land on the coast from the Sultan of Zanzibar, and over the following decades, Italian settlement was encouraged. In 1905, Italy assumed the responsibility of creating a colony in southern Somalia, after several failed attempts. This followed revelations that
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5628-405: The Gulf of Aden , the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. (The Kingdom of Egypt remained neutral during the Second World War but the terms of the Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936 allowed the British to occupy Egypt and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.) Egypt, the Suez Canal, French Somaliland and British Somaliland were also vulnerable to invasion but the Italian General Staff had planned for a war after 1942; in
5762-488: The Indian Ocean were brought to Somali ports but their cargoes were not always of much use to the Italian war effort. On 22 November 1940 the Yugoslav steamer Durmitor , captured by the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis , put in at Warsheikh with a cargo of salt and several hundred prisoners. The Comando Aeronautica Africa Orientale Italiana (CAAOI) of the Regia Aeronautica (General Pietro Pinna) based in Addis Ababa, had three sector commands corresponding to
5896-455: The Italian concession zone at Tientsin in China. There were limited port facilities at Assab , in Eritrea and at Mogadishu in Italian Somaliland. When the Mediterranean route was closed to Allied merchant ships in April 1940, the Italian naval bases in East Africa were well placed for attacks on convoys en route to Suez up the east coast of Africa and through the Red Sea. The finite resources in Italian East Africa were intended to last for
6030-511: The June debacle in France , Wavell had to follow a defensive strategy. After Italian operations in Sudan at Kassala and Gallabat in June, Winston Churchill blamed Wavell for a "static policy". Anthony Eden , the Secretary of State for War , communicated to Wavell that an Italian advance towards Khartoum should be destroyed. Wavell replied that the Italian attacks were not serious but went to Sudan and Kenya to see for himself and met Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie at Khartoum. Eden convened
6164-534: The Somali Republic . The late 19th century had a huge impact in the Horn of Africa . The Somali Sultans that then controlled the region, such as Yusuf Ali Kenadid , Boqor Osman Mahamuud , Ahmed Yusuf, and Olol Dinle entered into treaties with one of the European colonial powers Great Britain and France , or Abyssinia . At the end of the 19th century, a growing social-political movement developed within Italy to start expanding its influence, since many other European countries had already been doing so, which
6298-425: The Somalia Governorate . This would last until Italy's loss of the region in 1941, during the East African campaign of World War II . Italian Somalia then came under British military administration until 1950, when it became a United Nations trusteeship , the Trust Territory of Somalia under Italian administration . On 1 July 1960, the Trust Territory of Somalia united with the former British Somaliland to form
6432-440: The former British Somaliland united to form the Somali Republic , with Mogadishu as the nation's capital. This day is celebrated as Somalia's Independence Day . A government was formed by Abdullahi Issa and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal and other members of the trusteeship and protectorate governments, with Abdulcadir Muhammed Aden as President of the Somali National Assembly , Aden Abdullah Osman Daar as President of
6566-443: The invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. Effective Italian control remained largely limited to the coastal areas until the early 1920s. After the collapse of the Dervish movement, wherein Diiriye Guure was sultan and wherein Mohammed Abdullah Hassan' was emir, rebellion and revolt occurred, with disputes arising between different clans in the colony. The government of the time served as a mediator while maintaining close control over
6700-425: The "Guard Corps of Benadir", served as the territory's formal military corps. At the start of its establishment, the force had 2,600 Italian officers. Between 1911 and 1912, over 1,000 Somalis from Mogadishu served as combat units along with Eritrean and Italian soldiers in the Italo-Turkish War . Most of the troops stationed never returned home until they were transferred back to Italian Somaliland in preparation for
6834-563: The 1st East African Infantry Brigade and to deny a crossing of the Tana River and the fresh water at Wajir with the 2nd East African Infantry Brigade. Detachments were to be placed at Marsabit , Moyale and at Turkana near Lake Rudolf (now Lake Turkana ), an arc 850 mi (1,370 km) long. The Italians were thought to have troops at Kismayo , Mogadishu, Dolo , Moyale and Yavello , which turned out to be colonial troops and bande , with two brigades at Jimma , ready to reinforce Moyale or attack Lake Rudolf and then invade Uganda . By
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#17328512203136968-400: The 1st East African Light Battery (3.7-inch howitzers) came from Kenya, raising the total to 4,000 troops, in the first week of August. In the Aden Protectorate , British Forces Aden (Air Vice-Marshal George Reid ) had a garrison of the two Indian infantry battalions until they were transferred to British Somaliland in August. In August 1939, Wavell had ordered a covert plan to encourage
7102-427: The 4th Indian Division in January 1941. On the outbreak of hostilities, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Reginald Chater in British Somaliland had about 1,754 troops comprising the Somaliland Camel Corps (SCC) and a battalion of the 1st Battalion Northern Rhodesia Regiment. By August, the 1/2nd Punjab and 3/5th Punjab regiments had been transferred from Aden and the 2nd Battalion of the King's African Rifles (KAR) with
7236-436: The 5th Destroyer Division with the Leone-class destroyers Pantera , Tigre and Leone and the 3rd Destroyer Division with the Sauro-class torpedo boats (a class of ships between the size of small, fast motor torpedo boats and destroyers, not found in the Royal Navy) Francesco Nullo , Nazario Sauro , Cesare Battisti and Daniele Manin . There were Orsini and Acerbi two old local defence torpedo boats and
7370-524: The AOC-in-C Middle East, had 14 Squadron , 47 Squadron and 223 Squadron (Wellesley bombers). A flight of Vincent biplanes from 47 Squadron performed Army Co-operation duties and were later reinforced from Egypt by 45 squadron ( Blenheims ). Six Gladiator biplane fighters were based in Port Sudan for trade protection and anti-submarine patrols over the Red Sea, the air defence of Port Sudan, Atbara and Khartoum and for army support. In May, 1 (Fighter) Squadron South African Air Force (SAAF) arrived,
7504-463: The AOI would remove the land threat to supplies and reinforcements coming from Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and British East Africa via the Suez Canal for the Western Desert campaign and re-open the land route from Cape Town to Cairo . On 10 June 1940, East Africa Force (Major-General Douglas Dickinson) was established for North-East Africa, East Africa and British Central Africa . In Sudan about 8,500 troops and 80 aircraft guarded
7638-420: The Air Force), Aosta had about 290,476 local and metropolitan troops (including naval and air force personnel). By 1 August, mobilisation had increased the number to 371,053 troops. On 10 June, the Italian army was organised in three corps and one division commands, Aosta had two metropolitan divisions, the 40th Infantry Division "Cacciatori d'Africa" and the 65th Infantry Division "Granatieri di Savoia" ,
7772-431: The Alpini Battalion "Uork Amba" of the 7th Alpini Regiment Alpini (elite mountain troops), a Bersaglieri battalion of motorised infantry, several Blackshirt Milizia Coloniale battalions and smaller units. About 70 per cent of Italian troops were locally recruited Askari . The regular Eritrean battalions and the Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali (RCTC Royal Corps of Somali Colonial Troops ) were among
7906-484: The Benadir Company had tolerated or collaborated in the perpetuation of the slave trade. The administrative regulator was Governor Mercantelli, with the six subdivisions of Brava , Merca , Lugh , Itala, Bardera , and Jumbo. Following the assassination of an Italian Lieutenant by anti-colonial Somali rebels, Italian troops razed all villages east of the river Shabeelle in a nearly hundred-kilometre range in reprisal, while seizing livestock and killing Somali residents in
8040-515: The British recognised Selassie as emperor and in August, Mission 101 entered Gojjam province to reconnoitre. Sandford requested that supply routes be established before the rains ended, to the area north of Lake Tana and that Selassie should return in October, as a catalyst for the uprising. Gaining control of Gojjam required the Italian garrisons to be isolated along the main road from Bahir Dar Giorgis south of Lake Tana, to Dangila , Debre Markos and Addis Ababa to prevent them concentrating against
8174-438: The Franco-Axis Armistice of 22 June 1940 .) In Libya, the Regio Esercito Italiana (Royal Italian Army) had about 215,000 men and in Egypt, the British had about 36,000 troops, with another 27,500 men training in Palestine. Wavell had about 86,000 troops at his disposal for Libya, Iraq , Syria , Iran and East Africa. Middle East Command was established before the war to control land operations and co-ordinate with
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#17328512203138308-402: The Italian defeat greatly eased the flow of supplies through the Red Sea to Egypt. Most of the Commonwealth forces were transferred to North Africa to participate in the Western Desert campaign . On 9 May 1936, the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini , proclaimed the formation of Italian East Africa ( Africa Orientale Italiana , AOI), from Ethiopia after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and
8442-430: The Italian forces in the region surrendered after the Battle of Gondar in November 1941, except for small groups that fought a guerrilla war in Ethiopia against the British until the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, which ended the war between Italy and the Allies. The East African campaign was the first Allied strategic victory in the war; few Italian forces escaped the region to be used in other campaigns and
8576-438: The Italians began the Battle of Tug Argan ( tug , a dry, sandy riverbed), where the road from Hargeisa crosses the Assa hills and by 14 August, the British were at risk of defeat in detail by the larger Italian force and its greater quantity of artillery. Close to being cut off and with only one battalion left in reserve, Godwin-Austen contacted Henry Maitland Wilson , commander of the British Troops in Egypt in Cairo (Wavell
8710-433: The Italians entered Berbera on the evening of 19 August. In the final four days, the RAF flew twelve reconnaissance and 19 reconnaissance-bombing sorties, with 72 attacks on Italian transport and troop columns; 36 fighter sorties were flown over Berbera. The British suffered casualties of 38 killed and 222 wounded; the Italians suffered 2,052 casualties; fuel and ammunition expenditure and wear and tear on vehicles
8844-509: The Red Sea coast to protect Port Sudan , the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade was based south-west of Kassala and the 10th Indian Infantry Brigade ( William Slim ) were sent to Gedaref , with the divisional headquarters, to block an Italian attack on Khartoum from Goz Regeb to Gallabat, on a front of 200 mi (320 km). Gazelle Force (Colonel Frank Messervy ) was formed on 16 October, as a mobile unit to raid Italian territory and delay an Italian advance. Gallabat fort lay in Sudan and Metemma
8978-400: The Red Sea coast to their base at Gedaref. Information on the Italian withdrawal plan was quickly decrypted by the British and Platt was able to begin his offensive into Eritrea on 18 January 1941, three weeks ahead of schedule. In Sudan, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Headquarters Sudan (Headquarters 203 Group from 17 August, Air Headquarters East Africa from 19 October), subordinate to
9112-410: The Rhodesians supported a raid by the SDF on the Italian desert outpost of El Wak in Italian Somaliland about 90 mi (140 km) north-east of Wajir. The Rhodesians bombed and burnt down thatched mud huts and generally harassed Italian troops. Since the main fighting at that time was against Italian advances towards Moyale in Kenya, the Rhodesians concentrated there. On 1 July, an Italian attack on
9246-426: The SYL's plans for independence. In the 1956 parliamentary election , the Somali Youth League would win 54.29% of votes versus 26.01% for the nearest party, the Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali. The growing power of the SYL would lead Italian officials to take a more conciliatory stance towards the organization. The SYL would also earn 416 of the 663 seats in the 1958 municipal election, with the HDMS securing 175 seats. By
9380-454: The Somali National League (SNL), that were then agitating for independence — that Somalia achieve independence within ten years. In 1949, when the British military administration ended, Italian Somaliland became a United Nations trusteeship known as the Trust Territory of Somaliland . Under Italian administration, this trust territory lasted ten years, from 1950 to 1960, with legislative elections held in 1956 and 1959 . On 1 April 1950,
9514-558: The Somali Republic, and Abdirashid Ali Shermarke as Prime Minister . On 20 July 1961, through a popular referendum , the people of Somalia ratified a new constitution , which was first drafted in 1960. 2°N 45°E / 2°N 45°E / 2; 45 East African campaign (World War II) [REDACTED] Free France [REDACTED] Italy Associated articles Asia-Pacific Mediterranean and Middle East Other campaigns Coups The East African campaign (also known as
9648-490: The Somali Youth League. Numerous SYL officials who had gained positions of prominence during the era of British Military Administration were either demoted, removed from their positions or imprisoned by Italians officials. These attempts to marginalize the league would lead to demonstrations across the country which were strongly repressed by the government, who had at the time come to decision not cooperate or concede to
9782-461: The South Africans even pressing an old Valentia biplane into service as a bomber. The South Africans faced experienced Italian pilots, including a cadre of Spanish Civil War veterans. Despite its lack of experience, 1 Squadron claimed 48 enemy aircraft destroyed and 57 damaged in the skies over East Africa. A further 57 were claimed destroyed on the ground. all for the loss of six pilots. It
9916-407: The Sudan Defence Force, two motor machine-gun companies and a mounted infantry company. Kassala was bombed and then attacked, the British retiring slowly. On 4 August, the Italians advanced with a western column towards Zeila , a central column (Lieutenant-General Carlo De Simone) towards Hargeisa and an eastern column towards Odweina in the south. The SCC skirmished with the advancing Italians as
10050-519: The Sultanates' respective administrations. In return for Italian arms and an annual subsidy, the Sultans conceded to a minimum of oversight and economic concessions. The Italians also agreed to dispatch a few ambassadors to promote both the Sultanates' and their own interests. The new protectorates were thereafter managed by Vincenzo Filonardi through a chartered company . An Anglo-Italian border protocol
10184-519: The area. On 5 April 1908, the Italian Parliament enacted a basic law to unite all of the parts of southern Somalia into an area called "Somalia Italiana". The colonial power was then divided between the Parliament, the metropolitan government, and the colonial government. The power of the colonial government was the only power that was changed. The civil governor controlled export rights, regulated
10318-473: The army and air force in East Africa. Merchant traffic was stopped by the British on 24 May, pending the introduction of a convoy system. The Red Sea Force (Senior Naval Officer Red Sea, Rear-Admiral Arthur Murray ), operational at Aden since April with the light cruisers HMS Liverpool and HMAS Hobart ( Liverpool was replaced by HMS Leander ), was reinforced by the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Carlisle , which sailed south with Convoy BS 4,
10452-729: The base at Aden, 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) east of Bab-el-Mandeb on the Arabian Peninsula . The principal Italian naval force ( Contrammiraglio [Rear-Admiral] Mario Bonetti ) was based at Massawa in Eritrea, about 350 nmi (650 km; 400 mi) north of the Bab-el-Mandeb, well placed for the Red Sea Flotilla to attack Allied convoys. British code-breakers of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park in England, deciphered Italian orders of 19 May, coded using C38m machines, secretly to mobilise
10586-512: The best Italian units in the AOI and included Eritrean cavalry Penne di Falco (Falcon Feathers). (On one occasion a squadron of horse charged British and Commonwealth troops, throwing small hand grenades from the saddle.) Most colonial troops were recruited, trained and equipped for colonial repression, although the Somali Dubats from the borderlands were useful light infantry and skirmishers. Irregular bande were hardy and mobile, knew
10720-511: The border town of Moyale, on the edge of the Ethiopian escarpment, where the tracks towards Wajir and Marsabit meet, was repulsed by a company of the 1st KAR and reinforcements were moved up. The Italians carried out a larger attack by about four battalions on 10 July, after a considerable artillery bombardment and after three days the British withdrew unopposed. The Italians eventually advanced to water holes at Dabel and Buna , nearly 62 mi (100 km) inside Kenya but lack of supplies prevented
10854-694: The campaign. These were joined by the Allied Force Publique of Belgian Congo , Imperial Ethiopian Arbegnoch (resistance forces) and a small unit of Free French Forces . Italian East Africa was defended by the Comando Forze Armate dell'Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian East African Armed Forces Command), with units from the Regio Esercito (Royal Army), Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) and Regia Marina (Royal Navy). The Italian forces included about 250,000 soldiers of
10988-477: The cathedral grounds. This was in stark contrast to the many new shops that had opened outside, where merchants, optimistic about the city's relative stability since the ousting of the insurgents, had begun to publicly advertise their wares again. The correspondent also mentioned that although the cathedral had structurally incurred considerable damage by having its roof blown off among other things, its walls were still erect, its elegant stone arches still in place, and
11122-694: The cathedral was built as the biggest in eastern Africa by order of Cesare Maria De Vecchi , governor of Italian Somaliland who promoted the Christianization of Somali people. It was built between 1923 and 1928 and was used as a model the "Cathedral of Cefalu" (in northern Sicily), created to commemorate the Christian reconquest of Sicily from the Arabs in the 10th century. The cathedral was done in Norman Gothic style , designed by architect Antonio Vandone. The facade
11256-408: The city of Merca to create a colonial outpost. During the visit a captain of one of the Italian vessels, Lieutenant Maurizio Talmone, was assassinated. In late 1888, Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid sent a treaty request to Italy to make his Sultanate of Hobyo an Italian protectorate . His rival Boqor Osman Mahamuud was to sign a similar agreement vis-a-vis his own Majeerteen Sultanate (Majeerteenia)
11390-409: The colonies of Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland . On 10 June 1940, Mussolini declared war on Britain and France , which made Italian military forces in Libya a threat to Egypt and those in the AOI a danger to the British and French colonies in East Africa. Italian belligerence also closed the Mediterranean to Allied merchant ships and endangered British sea lanes along the coast of East Africa,
11524-751: The country and were effective scouts and saboteurs, although sometimes confused with Shifta , marauders who plundered and murdered at will. Once Italy entered the war, a 100-strong company was formed from German residents of East Africa and stranded German sailors. Italian forces in East Africa were equipped with about 3,313 heavy machine-guns, 5,313 machine-guns, 24 M11/39 medium tanks, 39 L3/35 tankettes, 126 armoured cars and 824 guns, twenty-four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, seventy-one 81 mm mortars and 672,800 rifles. The Italians had little opportunity for reinforcement or supply, leading to severe shortages, especially of ammunition. On occasion, foreign merchant vessels captured by German merchant raiders in
11658-446: The destroyer Pantera dropped 110 mines in two barrages off Assab the day after. When Italy declared war on 10 June, Galileo Ferraris sailed for French Somaliland (Djibouti), Galileo Galilei to Aden, Galvani to the Gulf of Oman and Mecallé to Port Sudan. On 14 June Torricelli put to sea to relieve Galileo Ferraris whose crew had been incapacitated by chloromethane poisoning from
11792-631: The dominant clan and ethnic configurations and respect for Islam as the territory's religion. In 1928, the Italian authorities built the Mogadishu Cathedral ( Cattedrale di Mogadiscio ). It was constructed in a Norman Gothic style, based on the Cefalù Cathedral in Cefalù , Sicily . Following its establishment, Umberto , Prince of Piedmont , the heir apparent to the Italian throne, made his first publicized visit to Mogadishu. To commemorate
11926-657: The dominant party and had a moderate ideology. Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali (HDMS) party served as the principal opposition to the right, although its platform was generally in agreement with that of the SYL. In November 1949, the United Nations finally opted to grant Italy trusteeship of Italian Somaliland, but only under close supervision and on the condition — first proposed by the Somali Youth League (SYL) and other nascent Somali political organizations, such as Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali (later Hizbia Dastur Mustaqbal Somali, or HDMS) and
12060-465: The end of July, the 3rd East African Infantry Brigade and the 6th East African Infantry Brigade had been formed. A Coastal Division and a Northern Frontier District Division had been planned but then the 11th (African) Division and the 12th (African) Division were created instead. On 1 June, the first South African unit arrived at the port of Mombasa in Kenya and by the end of July, the 1st South African Infantry Brigade Group had arrived. On 13 August,
12194-525: The following year. Both rulers had entered into the protectorate treaties to advance their own expansionist goals, with Sultan Kenadid looking to use Italy's support in his ongoing power struggle with Boqor Osman over the Majeerteen Sultanate, as well as in a separate conflict with the Hiraab Sultanate over an area to the south of Hobyo . In signing the agreements, the rulers also hoped to exploit
12328-405: The fort to the Italians and on 9 November, two Baluch companies attacked and held the fort during the day and retired in the evening. During the night an Italian counter-attack was repulsed by artillery-fire and next morning the British re-occupied the fort unopposed. Ambushes were laid and prevented Italian reinforcements from occupying the fort or the hills on the flanks, despite frequent bombing by
12462-402: The general atmosphere was one of serenity. In April 2013, after a visit to the site to inspect its condition, the diocese announced plans to rebuild the cathedral in the near future. Italian Somaliland Italian Somaliland ( Italian : Somalia Italiana ; Arabic : الصومال الإيطالي , romanized : Al-Sumal Al-Italiy ; Somali : Dhulka Soomaalida ee Talyaaniga ) was
12596-476: The high grade cypher of the Italian Army in East Africa. Later that month, the replacement cypher for the Regia Aeronautica was broken by the Combined Bureau, Middle East (CBME). In September 1940, Wavell ordered the commanders in Sudan and Kenya to make limited attacks once the rainy season had ended. On the northern front, Platt was to attack Gallabat and the vicinity; on the southern front, Cunningham
12730-499: The infantry had no cover. An ammunition lorry was set on fire by burning grass and the sound was taken to be an Italian counter-attack from behind. When a platoon advanced towards the sound with fixed bayonets, some troops thought that they were retreating. Part of the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment at the fort broke and ran, taking some of the Gahrwalis with them. Many of the British fugitives mounted their transport and drove off, spreading
12864-553: The invasion of Ethiopia, Mogadishu served as a chief supply base. In June 1936, after the war ended, Italian Somaliland became part of Italian East Africa ( Africa Orientale Italiana ) forming the Somalia Governorate . The new colony of the Italian Empire also included Ethiopia and Eritrea . To commemorate the victory, an Arch of Triumph was constructed in Mogadishu. From 1936 to 1940, new roads were constructed in
12998-651: The land fronts, In June 1940, there were 323 aircraft in the AOI, in 23 bomber squadrons with 138 aircraft, comprising 14 squadrons with six aircraft each, six Caproni Ca.133 light bomber squadrons, seven Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 squadrons and two squadrons of Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s . Four fighter squadrons had 36 aircraft , comprising two nine-aircraft Fiat CR.32 squadrons and two nine-aircraft Fiat CR.42 Falco squadrons; CAAOI had one reconnaissance squadron with nine IMAM Ro.37 aircraft. There were 183 first line aircraft and another 140 in reserve, of which 59 were operational and 81 were unserviceable. On
13132-542: The layout of the land, the Italians began new local infrastructure projects, including the construction of hospitals, farms and schools. The relationship between the Sultanate of Hobyo and Italy soured when Sultan Kenadid refused the Italians' proposal to allow a British contingent of troops to disembark in his Sultanate so that they might then pursue their battle against the Somali religious and nationalist leader Muhammad Abdullah Hassan's Dervish forces. Viewed as too much of
13266-595: The main British force slowly retired. On 5 August, the towns of Zeila and Hargeisa were captured, cutting off the British from French Somaliland. Odweina fell the following day and the Italian central and eastern columns joined. On 11 August, Major-General Alfred Reade Godwin-Austen was diverted to Berbera , en route to Kenya to take command as reinforcements increased the British garrison to five battalions. (From 5 to 19 August, RAF squadrons based at Aden flew 184 sorties, dropped 60 long tons (61 t) of bombs, lost seven aircraft destroyed and ten damaged.) On 11 August,
13400-723: The military. In 1920, a member of the Italian royal family , The Duca degli Abruzzi , who was also a famous explorer, would establish the Società Agricola Italo-Somala (SAIS) in order to explore the agricultural potential of the territory. That same year, the Duca founded the Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi ("Villabruzzi"; Jowhar ) as an agricultural settlement in Italian Somaliland. The area produced sugar, bananas and cotton. On 5 December 1923, Cesare Maria De Vecchi di Val Cismon
13534-513: The more than 220,000 Italian soldiers stationed throughout Italian Somaliland during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War . The colony was also one of the most developed in Africa in terms of the standard of living of the colonists and of the local inhabitants, mainly in the urban areas. By 1940, the Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi ("Villabruzzi"; Jowhar ) had a population of 12,000 people, of whom nearly 3,000 were Italian Somalis, and enjoyed
13668-514: The naval and air commands in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Wavell was allowed only five staff officers for plans and command of an area of 3,500,000 sq mi (9,100,000 km ). From 1940 to 1941, operations took place in the Western Desert of Egypt, East Africa, Greece and the Middle East . In July 1939, Wavell devised a strategy to defend and then to dominate the Mediterranean as
13802-727: The outbreak of war, the CAAOI had 10,700 t (10,500 long tons) of aviation fuel, 5,300 t (5,200 long tons) of bombs and 8,620,000 rounds of ammunition. Aircraft and engine maintenance was conducted at the main air bases and at the Caproni and Piaggio workshops, which could repair about fifteen seriously-damaged aircraft and engines each month, along with some moderately and lightly damaged aircraft and could also recycle scarce materials. The Italians had reserves for 75 per cent of their front-line strength but lacked spare parts and many aircraft were cannibalised to keep others operational. The quality of
13936-554: The panic and some of the runaways reached Doka before being stopped. The Italian bombers returned next morning and Slim ordered a withdrawal from Gallabat Ridge 3 mi (4.8 km) west to less exposed ground that evening. Sappers from the 21st Field Company remained behind to demolish the remaining buildings and stores in the fort. The artillery bombarded Gallabat and Metemma and set off Italian ammunition dumps full of pyrotechnics. British casualties since 6 November were 42 men killed and 125 wounded. The brigade patrolled to deny
14070-467: The rate of exchange, raised or lowered native taxes, and administered all civil services and matters relating to hunting, fishing, and conservation. The governor was in control of the police force, while nominating local residents and military arrangements. From 5 April 1908 to 5 May 1936, the Royal Corps of Somali Colonial Troops ( Regio corpo truppe coloniali della Somalia Italiana ), originally called
14204-588: The rebellion in the western Ethiopian province of Gojjam , which the Italians had never been able to repress. In September, Colonel Daniel Sandford arrived to run the project, but until the Italian declaration of war, the conspiracy was held back by the government's policy of appeasement. Mission 101 was formed to co-ordinate the activities of the Ethiopian resistance. In June 1940, Selassie arrived in Egypt and in July, went to Sudan to meet Platt and discuss plans to recapture Ethiopia, despite Platt's reservations. In July,
14338-561: The refrigeration system. The crew of Macallé was also afflicted; the boat was run aground and lost on 15 June. On 18 June, Galileo Galilei boarded and released the neutral Yugoslav steamship Dravo and the next day engaged the armed trawler HMS Moonstone off Aden. All but one officer was killed by shell-fire and Galileo Galilei was captured along with many documents including operational orders for four other Italian submarines. Archimede , Perla and Guglielmotti sailed from 19 to 21 June. On 26 June, Guglielmotti ran onto
14472-425: The region, such as the "Imperial Road" from Mogadishu to Addis Ababa . New railways (114 km from Mogadishu to Jowhar) and many schools, hospitals, ports and bridges were also built. Since the start of the colony, many Somali troops fought in the so-called Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali . The soldiers were enrolled as Dubats , Zaptié and Bande irregolari . During World War II , these troops were regarded as
14606-482: The rival objectives of the European imperial powers so as to more effectively assure the continued independence of their territories. The Italians, for their part, were interested in the largely arid territory mainly because of its ports , which could grant them access to the strategically important Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden . The terms of each treaty specified that Italy was to steer clear of any interference in
14740-425: The rocky ground. The defenders at Boundary Khor were dug in behind fields of barbed wire and Castagnola had contacted Gondar for air support. Italian bombers and fighters attacked all day, shot down seven Gladiators for a loss of five Fiat CR-42s and destroyed the lorry carrying spare parts for the tanks. The ground was so hard and rocky that there were no trenches and when Italian bombers made their biggest attack,
14874-557: The southern front of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War was launched into Ethiopia from Italian Somaliland. The Italian General Rodolfo Graziani commanded the invasion forces in the south. Over 40,000 Somali troops served in the war, mostly as combat units. They backed up the over 80,000 Italians serving alongside them at the start of the offensive. Many of the Somalis were veterans from serving in Italian Libya . During
15008-540: The southern half of the partitioned Jubaland territory, which was later called the Northern Frontier District (NFD). In January 1887 Italian troops from Somalia fought a battle against Ras Alula Engida 's militia in Dogali, Eritrea, where they lost 500 troops. The Prime Minister, Agostino Depretis , died shortly after this defeat in July 1887. Francesco Crispi replaced him as Prime Minister. On 2 May 1889,
15142-502: The southern territories, the northern sultanates were not subject to direct rule due to the earlier treaties they had signed with the Italians. In 1926, the agricultural colony of Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi comprised 16 villages, with some 3,000 Somali and 200 Italian inhabitants, and was connected by a 114 km new railway to Mogadishu. Italian colonial policy followed two principles in Italian Somaliland: preservation of
15276-491: The subsequent attempt to capture British Somaliland happened two months later in Operation Appearance. In the spring of 1941, Britain regained control of British Somaliland and conquered Italian Somaliland with the Ogaden . However, until the summer of 1943, there was an Italian guerrilla war in all the areas of the former Italian East Africa. British forces occupied Italian Somaliland and militarily administered
15410-568: The summer of 1940 Italy was far from ready for a long war or for the occupation of large areas of Africa . Amedeo, Duke of Aosta , was appointed Viceroy and Governor-General of the AOI in November 1937, with a headquarters in Addis Ababa , the Ethiopian capital. On 1 June 1940, as the commander in chief of Comando Forze Armate dell'Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian East African Armed Forces Command) and Generale d'Armata Aerea (General of
15544-548: The territory as well as British Somaliland. Faced with growing Italian political pressure inimical to continued British tenure and Somali aspirations for independence, the Somalis and the British came to see each other as allies. The first modern Somali political party, the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was subsequently established in Mogadishu in 1943; it was later renamed the Somali Youth League (SYL). The SYL evolved into
15678-515: The territory's population. Of those, 20,000 resided in Mogadishu (called officially in Italian language: Mogadiscio ), representing around 40% of the city's 50,000 residents. Mogadishu was an administrative capital of Italian East Africa, and new buildings were erected in the Italian architectural tradition. Other Italian settler communities were concentrated in Jowhar, Adale ( Itala ), Janale , Jamame , and Kismayo . These figures do not include
15812-430: The territory's population. The majority resided in the capital Mogadishu, with other Italian communities concentrated in Jowhar, Adale ( Itala ), Janale, Jamame and Kismayo . In October 1934, Umberto, Prince of Piedmont, made his second publicized visit to Italian Somaliland. King Victor Emmanuel III would also travel to the territory, arriving on 3 November that same year, accompanied by Emilio de Bono , after
15946-510: The theatre was formally added to his responsibilities. He expected that the Somalilands could be defended with minor reinforcement. If Italy joined the war, Ethiopia would be invaded as soon as there were sufficient troops. Wavell also co-ordinated plans with South Africa in March. On 1 May 1940, Wavell ordered British Troops Egypt to mobilise discreetly for military operations in western Egypt but after
16080-570: The units varied. The SM.79 was the only modern bomber and the CR.32 fighter was obsolete but the Regia Aeronautica in East Africa had a cadre of highly experienced Spanish Civil War veterans. There was the nucleus of a transport fleet, with nine Savoia-Marchetti S.73 , nine Ca.133, six Ca.148 (a lengthened version of the Ca.133) and a Fokker F.VII , which maintained internal communications and carried urgent items and personnel between sectors. From 1935 to 1940
16214-550: The villages of Qaysān , Kurmuk and Dumbode on the Blue Nile . From there the Italians ventured no further into Sudan owing to a lack of fuel and fortified Kassala with anti-tank defences, machine-gun posts and strongpoints, later establishing a brigade-strong garrison. The Italians were disappointed to find little anti-British sentiment among the Sudanese population. The 5th Indian Division began to arrive in Sudan in early September 1940. The 29th Indian Infantry Brigade were placed on
16348-492: The visit, the Arch of Umberto was constructed. The arch was built at the center of Mogadishu Garden. The Mogadishu International Airport was constructed that same year. The facility was regarded as one of the finest in the region. Following a two year long Somali resistance, in late 1927 Italy finally extended authority across the entire territory. In the early 1930s, the new Italian Governors, Guido Corni and Maurizio Rava, started
16482-664: Was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the new Middle East Command, over the Mediterranean and Middle East theatres. Wavell was responsible for the defence of Egypt through the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, British Troops Egypt, to train the Egyptian Army and co-ordinate military operations with the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, Admiral Andrew Cunningham ,
16616-520: Was delimited to the sides by two towers, each 37.50 meters high. The plan of the building was a Latin cross ; inside was divided into three naves separated by piers with pointed arches. The church was entrusted to the Consolata missionaries , then replaced by the Franciscans (Friars Minor). In 1989, on the eve of the outbreak of the civil war in Somalia, the last Bishop of Mogadishu, Salvatore Colombo ,
16750-421: Was difficult to remedy, which forced the Italians to return to the defensive. Churchill criticised Wavell for abandoning the colony without enough fighting but Wavell called it a textbook withdrawal in the face of superior numbers. Anglo-Egyptian Sudan shared a 1,000 mi (1,600 km) border with the AOI and on 4 July 1940, was invaded by an Italian force of about 6,500 men from Eritrea, which advanced on
16884-476: Was effectively leaving Italy behind. Italy also had serious economic problems. It is also argued by some historians that Italy had a minor interest in the mutton and livestock that were then plentiful in Somalia, though whatever designs Italy may have had on the resource-challenged Somali landscape were undoubtedly subordinate to its interest in the region's ports and the waters and lands to which they provided access. Cesare Correnti organized an expedition under
17018-521: Was in London) and received permission to withdraw from the colony. The 2nd Battalion, Black Watch , supported by two companies of the 2nd King's African Rifles and parties of the 1st/2nd Punjab Regiment covered the retreat of the British contingent to Berbera. By 2:00 p.m. on 18 August, most of the contingent had been evacuated to Aden but HMAS Hobart and the HQ stayed behind until morning before sailing and
17152-497: Was killed by armed insurgents while celebrating Mass in the cathedral. The assassination of Bishop Colombo remains unsolved, despite calls from Somali officials for the case's investigation. After 1991, the cathedral was no longer regularly used. In late 2008, much of the Catholic cathedral was destroyed. A BBC correspondent later visited the site in 2012 and reported that some internally displaced people had formed tent settlements on
17286-602: Was later signed on 5 May 1894, followed by an agreement in 1906 between Cavalier Pestalozza and General Swaine acknowledging that Baran fell under the Majeerteen Sultanate's administration. The last piece of land acquired by Italy in Somalia in order to form Italian Somaliland was the Jubaland region. Britain ceded the territory in 1925 as a reward for the Italians having joined the Allies in World War I . The British retained control of
17420-477: Was named Governor in charge of the new colonial administration. In November 1920, the Banca d'Italia , the first modern bank in Italian Somaliland, was established in Mogadishu. After World War I in 1925, Trans-Juba , which was then a part of British East Africa , was ceded to Italy. This concession was purportedly a reward for the Italians having joined the Allies in World War I . Following an examination of
17554-549: Was ordered to withdraw from Kassala and Metemma in the lowlands along the Eritrea–Sudan border and hold the mountain passes on the Kassala– Agordat and Metemma–Gondar roads. Frusci chose not to withdraw from the lowlands, because withdrawal would involve too great a loss of prestige and because Kassala was an important railway junction; holding it prevented the British from using the railway to carry supplies from Port Sudan on
17688-501: Was set aside to finance operations. Major Orde Wingate was sent to Khartoum with an assistant to join the headquarters of the SDF. On 20 November, Wingate was flown to Sakhala to meet Sandford, and the RAF managed to bomb Dangila, drop propaganda leaflets and supply Mission 101, which raised Ethiopian morale, which had suffered much from Italian air power since the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Mission 101 managed to persuade
17822-596: Was to advance northwards from Kenya through Italian Somaliland into Ethiopia. In early November 1940, Cunningham had taken over the East African Force from Dickinson, who was in poor health. While Platt advanced from the north and Cunningham from the south, Wavell planned for a third force to be landed in British Somaliland by amphibious assault to re-take the colony, prior to advancing into Ethiopia. The three forces were to rendezvous at Addis Ababa. The conquest of
17956-458: Was transferred to Egypt to convert to Gladiators and returned to Khartoum in August. The SAAF in Kenya comprised 12 Squadron ( Junkers Ju 86 bombers), 11 Squadron ( Battle bombers), 40 Squadron ( Hart light bombers), 2 Squadron ( Fury fighters) and 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF ( Hardy general-purpose aircraft). Better aircraft became available later but the first aircraft were old and slow,
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