Battle of Gondar

Battle of Gondar Part of the East African Campaign of World War II Ethiopian painting of the battle Date 13–27 November 1941 Location Gondar, Ethiopia 12°36′00″N 37°28′00″E / 12.60000°N 37.46667°E / 12.60000; 37.46667Coordinates: 12°36′00″N 37°28′00″E / 12.60000°N 37.46667°E / 12.60000; 37.46667 Result Allied victory Territorial changes Fall of Italian East Africa Restoration of the Ethiopian Empire Belligerents  Italy Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali  United Kingdom Commonwealth troops Kenya Armoured Car Regiment Ethiopian irregulars Commanders and leaders Guglielmo Nasi William Platt Charles Fowkes Strength 41,000 70 guns 1 aircraft 2 East African Infantry brigades Camforce (Ethiopian Patriots) South African Light Armoured Detachment[1] Casualties and losses June–November: 300 Italian, 3,700 Ascari killed 8,400 wounded or sick[2] 22,000 prisoners 1 aircraft[3] final assault: 32 killed 182 wounded 6 missing 15 aircraft[3] Gondar Gondar, city and district (woreda), in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, north of Tana Lake

East African Campaign World War II Kassala 1st British Somaliland French Somaliland Harmil Island Agordat 2nd British Somaliland Keren Amba Alagi Culqualber Gondar Guerrilla war Associated articles Gideon Force Red Sea Flotilla Desert Air Force East Indies Station East Africa Force Order of Battle

The Battle of Gondar was the last stand of the Italian forces in Italian East Africa during the Second World War. The battle took place in November 1941, during the East African Campaign. Gondar was the main town of Amhara in the mountains north of Lake Tana in Ethiopia, at an elevation of 7,000 ft (2,100 m) and had an Italian garrison of 40,000, commanded by Generale Guglielmo Nasi.

Background

Modern map of Ethiopia, showing Gondar and main roads

After the defeat of the Italians at the Battle of Keren (1 April 1941), many of the remaining Italians withdrew to the strongholds of Amba Alagi, Jimma and Gondar. Amba Alagi fell in May and Jimma fell in July.^[4] Gondar is the capital of Amhara on the high ground north of Lake Tana at 7,000 ft (2,100 m). In 1941 it was a road junction but only the Amhara road had an all-weather surface. At Wolchefit, guarded by a garrison of Italian troops, 70 mi (110 km) towards Amhara, the road chicaned up a 4,000 ft (1,200 m) escarpment, some parts having been cut into a vertical cliff. From Wolchefit to Gondar the road traced the edge of the escarpment and at Dabat, 30 mi (48 km) short of Gondar and at Amba Giorgis were small garrisons. Only a minor road from Um Hagar to the north had a junction with the main road. West from the town, a fair-weather road in poor repair, led to Gallabat and had a garrison at Chilga. There were rough tracks to the west of Lake Tana which met at Gorgora and a better road ran east to Debra Tabor, also garrisoned and Dessie. At Kulkaber, 30 mi (48 km) from Gondar, the road passed between Lake Tana and the hills; from Debra Tabor to Dessie, it was a soil road and impassable in rain.^[5]

Prelude

The possession of the Wolchefit and Kulkaber mountain passes was instrumental for attacking Gondar. Wolchefit was defended by a garrison of about 4,000 men under Colonel Mario Gonella.^[6] The stronghold was besieged by irregular Ethiopian forces, led by British Major Ringrose, since May 1941; the besieging force was later augmented by the arrival of units from the British Indian Army and part of the 12th Afrian Division. Several attacks and counterattacks were launched between May and August 1941.^[7] On 28 September 1941, after losing in combat 950 men and running out of food, Gonella surrendered with 1,629 Italians and 1,450 colonial soldiers.^[8]

On 13 November, a mixed force from the British 12th (African) Division under Major-General Charles Fowkes—supported by Ethiopian irregular troops—attacked the key defensive position of Kulkaber and were repelled.^[9] Kulkalber was besieged since early September, and had already been subjected to several attacks and bombardments. A second attack on 21 November from several directions was resisted until the afternoon, when Italian posts began to surrender.^[10] In the final attack there were 206 British and Ethiopian casualties and 2,423 Italian and Ethiopian prisoners taken (Italian sources list Italian casualties as 1,003 killed, 804 wounded and 1,900 prisoners).^[1][11]

By this point the Allies had total control of the skies: the Italians had one Fiat CR.42 left, piloted by Sergente Giuseppe Mottet. On 22 November, in the Regia Aeronautica's final sortie in East Africa, he made a strafing run on British artillery at Kulkaber that killed the Commander, Royal Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Ormsby. Afterwards, Mottet landed at Gondar, destroyed the plane and fought on with the army.^[12]

Battle

Mountain passes

There were two mountain passes that overlooked the town which were controlled by the Italian troops. They were invested by the two brigades of the 12th (African) Division. The two Italian groups in the passes were cut off and were forced to surrender when their supplies ran out.^[13]

Gondar town

Once the Allied troops had taken the passes, they gained control of the heights overlooking the town, and the Italian garrison under Generale Nasi in the town itself was attacked on 27 November and surrendered after the Kenya Armoured Car Regiment had penetrated the outskirts of the town.^[10][3]

See also

• East African Campaign (World War II)
• List of military engagements of World War II
• Unatù Endisciau

References

Sources

External links

• Battle of Gondar: text and maps