Synopsis
Analyzes the principal Italian military operations in East Africa, with particular focus on the period between 1940 and 1941.
Italy’s colonial adventure in East Africa, which had begun in the previous century and which ended abruptly with the disastrous defeat at Adua in 1896, regained impetus with the advent of Fascism which subsequently opened a campaign to expand Italian holdings in the so-called ‘Horn of Africa’.
With the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935–1936, Italy invaded the Empire of Ethiopia and its territory and, along with Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, formed the Italian East African Empire. Between 1936 and 1940, numerous operations were conducted against Ethiopian resistance which erupted throughout the country. With the start of the Second World War, Italian East Africa was cut off and had to operate independently without aid and supplies from the mother country. Nevertheless, during the early phases of the conflict, a series of offensive operations were carried out which led to the conquest of Kassala and of British Somaliland. The inevitable and massive British counteroffensive followed which in the space of a few months completely overwhelmed Italian forces in East Africa which, nonetheless, fought valiantly, especially at Keren. Following the fall of Addis Ababa, Italian resistance continued first at Amba Alagi and then in the Gimma region and finally at Gondar, where Italian soldiers fought gloriously despite the odds.
In Birth of an Empire: The Italian Army in East Africa 1935–1941 authors Ralph Riccio and Massimiliano Afiero ably analyse principal Italian military operations with a particular focus on the period between 1940–1941.
About the Author
Ralph Riccio was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and is a retired US Army officer who has been interested in military history and military equipment since his youth. He has written and co-authored a number of books on Italian small arms, armor and artillery, as well as several books on aspects of Irish military history. He has also written numerous magazine articles both in English and Italian dealing with a broad spectrum of military subjects. He has a native Italian language fluency, speaks several other languages as well, and is active in translating books and magazine articles from Italian into English for Italian authors who specialize in military affairs. In 1981 he was awarded an honorary Italian knighthood. He lives with his wife Charlene in a rural community in Pennsylvania.
Massimiliano Afiero was born in Afragola, Italy, in 1964. An information technology teacher and programmer, he has been interested in military history since his youth. He has published widely and has been involved in the editing and development of several magazines including Volontari, SGM, Ritterkreuz and The European Volunteer, and the Fronti di Guerra series. Since January 2017, he has been Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly magazine The Axis Forces.
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