Battles of the Italo-Abyssinian Wars - Battle of Amba Aradam, Battle of Genale Doria, Battle of Maychew, Battle of Shire, Battle of the Ogaden, de Bono (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 18. Chapters: Battle of Amba Aradam, Battle of Genale Doria, Battle of Maychew, Battle of Shire, Battle of the Ogaden, De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia, Ethiopian Christmas Offensive, First Battle of Tembien, Second Battle of Tembien. Excerpt: The Battle of Maychew (also known as the Battle of Mai Ceu) was the last major battle fought on the northern front during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The battle consisted of a failed counterattack by the Ethiopian forces under Emperor Haile Selassie making frontal assaults against prepared Italian defensive positions under the command of Marshal Pietro Badoglio. The battle was fought near Maychew (Mai Ceu), Ethiopia, in the modern region of Tigray. On 3 October 1935, General Emilio De Bono advanced into Ethiopia from Eritrea without a declaration of war, leading a force of approximately 100,000 Italian and 25,000 Eritrean soldiers towards the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. In December, after a brief period of inactivity and minor setbacks for the Italians, De Bono was replaced by Badoglio. Under Badoglio, the advance on Addis Ababa was renewed. Badoglio overwhelmed the armies of ill-armed and uncoordinated Ethiopian warriors with mustard gas, tanks, and heavy artillery. He defeated the Ethiopian armies at the Battle of Amba Aradam, the Second Battle of Tembien, and the Battle of Shire. On 1 March 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie arrived by foot at his new headquarters in Quorom. He arrived forty years to the day from the decisive Ethiopian victory at Adwa during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. On 19 March, both Ras Kassa Haile Darge and Ras Seyum Mangasha made their way to Quorom to join the Emperor. In addition, Ras Getachew Abate arrived with a fresh army from Kaffa Province. The Emperor divided his army into four groups. He arranged that one group would be commanded directly by himself and that the other three groups would be commanded by Ras Kassa, Ras Seyum, and Ras Getachew. Compared to other Ethiopian forces, Haile Selasie's army was extremely well armed. He had an artillery regiment of twenty 75 mm field guns, some Oerlikon 37 mm guns, and even a few 81 mm Brandt mortars. However, compared to the resources available to Badoglio, Haile Selasie's army was h