East African Campaign 1940-41

 This overlooked early WW2 campaign is now getting the Osprey Campaign series treatment in a new book by Pier Paolo Battistelli. 

Mussolini sought to expand the Italian empire in East Africa into his new 'Roman Empire'. In 1936, Italy had already conquered Ethiopia (then known as Abyssinia), and by 1940, Mussolini had ambitions to extend control over British colonies in East Africa, including Kenya, Sudan, and British Somaliland.

Italy launched a series of offensives from Italian East Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Italian Somaliland) against British colonies. The British garrison in the region was small, and they were forced to retreat. However, British and Commonwealth forces, under the command of General Sir William Platt, launched counteroffensives, deploying Indian, South, West, and East African troops. At the Battle of Keren (March–April 1941), they defeated Italian troops in Eritrea and pushed into Italian East Africa. 

The campaign extended to Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland. The British pressured Italian forces through a combination of military action, guerrilla warfare by Ethiopian resistance fighters, and strategic support from the Royal Air Force. By the end of 1941, Italian East Africa fell to the British. Ethiopia was liberated in May 1941, with Emperor Haile Selassie returning to the throne after being exiled by the Italians in 1936.

The book uses the standard Campaign format. The opposing commanders get potted biographies. The British included Orde Windgate, and there is a classic photo of him riding into Addis Ababa on a white horse. A very modern publicity-aware general. The Duke of Aosta commanded Italian forces. He was a member of the Italian royal family and was educated in England. The actual field commander was Army General Claudio Trezzani.

The chapter on the opposing forces clarifies that 'British' forces meant Africans and Indians. They included exotic units, such as the Sudan Defence Force on camels. The larger units included Indian Army divisions supported by Matilda tanks. The number of Italian troops was huge, although they also relied on colonial units. 5,540 officers, 5,891 non-commissioned officers, 56,510 Italian other ranks and 180,427 colonial non-commissioned officers and other ranks, for a grand total of 255,950, growing to nearly 300,000. They also had 24 medium and 39 light tanks. Poor organisation was one of the main shortcomings affecting the Italian forces. These were widely dispersed in a series of units and sub-units, often created without apparent logic, undermined by limited transportation.

A less determined commander than Wavell might have chosen to defend what he could, but he started preparing to attack in North and East Africa when Britain faced the threat of invasion. Moving the 4th Indian Division from North to East Africa was a bold decision, although some have argued that this weakened the British offensive in North Africa. However, he also had to consider the growing nervousness in Kenya, Rhodesia, and South Africa about a possible Italian invasion. 

The various stages of the campaign are described in detail, accompanied by excellent maps and colour plates of key actions. British losses amounted to 1,154 battle casualties and 74,550 sick and injured, including some 20,000 cases of dysentery and malaria. By the end of the campaign, only about 80,000 Italian forces—colonial troops included—were left out of the 300,000 or so available in June 1940.

As usual with this series, there is a chapter on the battlefields today. While the battlefields may be untouched, I suspect tourism will be limited, given contemporary conflicts in the region.

I could run this campaign with my 10mm Desert War models, although it needs the exotic units to get the authentic flavour.