ETHIOPIA AGAINST THE WORLD: Twelve Years Under The Bus

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The hour is grave. Arise everyone, take up your arms and rush to the defence of your country. Rally to your chiefs. Obey them wholeheartedly. Repel the invader. Those unable owing to infirmity must help in this sacred quarrel with prayer. God be with us. Forward for the Emperor and country,”

-Heile Salassie 1935

In August of 2012, the Mayor of Affile, in Italy, was able to obtain $160,00 in regional funds and also some private money for the building of a Mausoleum dedicated to preserving the memory of Field Martial Rodolfo Graziani, the “Butcher of Ethiopia.” Graziani was also responsible for countless deaths in Libya, many of them in concentration camps. The words on the monument were to be “Fatherland” and “Honor.” This would be very much like a German mayor using public funds to build a monument to Adolph Eichmann. In any event, this did not go down well in many places, especially Ethiopia. (See link to full story at

SOFREP published a piece of mine about the three Ethiopian “Kagnew” (“Conqueror”) battalions in the Korean War. I was interested not least of all because my father was the first liaison officer to the first battalion deployed in 1951. In reviewing Ethiopia’s history, especially during the years 1935-1947, it is a wonder that Ethiopia was willing to place its soldiers in battle alongside those of countries that had caused it great harm through acts of commission or omission. Its early history with the United Nations was less than rewarding.

Ethiopia was a flourishing civilization at the time of the Roman Empire. It was the first empire to adopt Christianity (about 40 years before Rome). Ethiopia’s church is closely related to the Coptic Christian Church in Egypt. Rome and Ethiopia got on very well. Ethiopia these days about 70% Christian, 20% Muslim (no major problems there) and 10% Animist, Ethiopians can be very light skinned, or very dark. For the most part their features are not “African” but rather more “Semitic” from many hundreds of years of interaction with Arabs of various nationalities. Their food is spicy and more along Arab lines.

Ethiopia managed to avoid being a victim of the “Scramble For Africa.” In the 1890s, Italy tried to conquer Ethiopia (for details see Kagnew article). Italy suffered a crushing defeat, many soldiers killed, many taken prisoner (properly treated and released to the Italian government) and much equipment lost. The defeat at Adwa (also spelled Adowa) was far worse than the British had suffered at Isandlwana, The Italians had more men and far more modern weapons. The desire for revenge for Adwa would burn for decades,

Italy did not become a single nation until well into the 19th Century, after a great deal of conflict. Being late to “form a band,” they were also late “going on tour.” England, France and others had colonies. Italy decided to catch up and wound up with Eritrea and Italian Somalia. Italy wanted more, but after Adwa left Ethiopia alone for a time.

By 1911 Italy had invaded Libya. The conquest took many years and was brutal. Many thousands of Libyans wound up in concentration camps and died of hunger and disease while many more were killed in the field. It has been claimed that Italian forces may have killed as many as half the population. Oddly, after years of fighting, the Italian colonial government moved to incorporate the survivors into the system. Libyans were allowed to join the fascist party, and also the Army. This (belated) “enlightened” policy would not be applied in Ethiopia.

Once Libya was out of the way Mussolini decided to revisit the Abyssinian adventure. The world then started to crumble around Ethiopia. Ethiopia depended on a rail line (owned by France) from the coast to bring in much needed manufactured goods including weapons. France sold the rail line to Italy. Britain and France wanted Italy to become an ally against Nazi Germany. Diplomats from both countries offered Italy 2/3rds of Ethiopia (the remaining third would be connected to the sea by a camel path,) When the attempted deal became public the diplomats had to take the heat and both were forced to resign, (the French diplomat later had a new career collaborating with the Germans in occupied France.) Italy started “pushing” at the borders and at one point occupied an Ethiopian oasis.

The British were forced to honor an earlier pledge to Ethiopia and send a “delegation” to accompany an Ethiopian boundary party. The British sent a single lieutenant, ordering him to abandon the party the second that he saw Italians, An Italian plane flew overhead and the lieutenant was gone. Shortly after a battle took place and many Ethiopians were killed. Italy invaded in October of 1935. Only the rains kept them from making any real progress. Unlike many of the Italian conscripts that would make a poor showing in the desert campaigns in WWII, the Italian troops pouring across the border were some of the best that Italy had. It’s armor would have been a joke, except that the Ethiopians had no armor and no anti-tank weapons.