The First Year of Renaissance
Part 7: The Fall of Somalia, June – November, 1936
The escort carriers that were ordered in early June were the high point of the first half year for Mussolini. Unfortunately, hard on the heels of this good news and amazing progress in the Italian naval industry a woeful tale began. At some point in early May Mussolini had tacitly accepted that Abyssinia was quickly becoming a quagmire, as Grazioli had not moved an inch forward since late March. The war gradually slid off of the newspaper headlines as nothing happened and continued to happen. However, events began picking up again in June, but not in the way Mussolini could have hoped.
The Abyssinians, seeing the nonexistence of the Italian reply to their minor move into Somalia, became bolder. By late June they had dedicated at least three divisions of militia, controlled by an actual military headquarters, to the Somali frontline. And then, they started pushing. The first town to be captured was Garoowe, northeast of the already fallen Gaalkacyo. Despite Italian censorship, and unlike the fall of Gaalkacyo, Italian newspapers registered this slap in the face. There was a deluge of publicity, forcing the Italian government to clamp down and forcibly ban any mention of Somalia, save for a minor story a week later telling of a glorious counteroffensive that had driven the Abyssinians out of Somalia and a consequent invasion of southern Abyssinia.
The town of Garoowe lost to the Abyssinians!
This counteroffensive never occurred. Instead, the corps commander on the spot, Lieutenant General Bennati, cravenly did nothing. His forces did not shift from their positions, and his one infantry division remained stationed far behind the front at Muqdishu. Grazioli did not push him. Indeed, evidence has come to light that Bennati worked to hide the full scale of the disaster from Grazioli, who willingly became an accomplice in this deception by not inquiring further. Perhaps by this stage Grazioli realized he had supply problems and was thus trying to sort them out so that he could continue his offensive. His reputation, after all, was being threatened. And then, in early July, the town of Eyl fell. The Italian territory of Somalia was bisected.
Somalia, cut in two by the Abyssinians.
The Abyssinians spent the next two months marching down the coast toward Muqdishu, conquering Garacad and Hobyo. Both were normally unimportant towns but their significance becomes clear when it is realized that Bennati still had not moved his forces to deal with this threat. The short Italian frontline had been turned, Abyssinian militia were behind the Blackshirt and Somali militia that were still facing the Abyssinian border from the same positions they were occupying at the beginning of the year. Bennati had not even released his sole division of real infantry to take up any useful position. Furthermore, the Abyssinians had actually brought up their own division of real infantry, in a shocking and telling turn of events. The significance of this deployment is obvious: the Abyssinians blatantly did not consider Grazioli’s northern forces a threat to Adis Abeba despite the fact that they were athwart two roads to the Abyssinian capital.
The Abyssinians were closing in on Bennati’s corps.
In early September, the Abyssinians began the battle for Somalia. Abyssinian militia attacked Somali militia at Dhuusa Mareeb, likely to pin them down to prevent them from coming to the aid of their fellows at Beledweyne. They likely need not have bothered. Given Bennati’s craven incompetence thus far, it was very unlikely that he would suddenly do the right thing and actually do something at all. Meanwhile, at Beledweyne the Abyssinian infantry attacked Blackshirt militia. Major General Zincone’s militia fought bravely despite the crippling handicap of an incompetent officer. At first, the battle seemed to be going well. The Abyssinian forces were relatively disorganized compared to their militia opponents, and defense is always easier than attack.
The first actual fighting in Somalia.
In two weeks of fighting, the Blackshirt militia was broken. Zincone was forced to withdraw toward Mereeg. At the same time, Beledweyne fell to the Abyssinians, who then launched an all out assault on the militia positions around Dhuusa Mareeb. Major General Giorgis was a defensive specialist, but his specialist knowledge could not defeat the vast forces arrayed against him. Three Abyssinian militia divisions, and their infantry division, assaulted the Italian and Somali positions from four sides. As at Beledweyne, the militia broke in two weeks. Bennati’s corps was slowly disintegrating right in front of his unwilling and unseeing eyes.
The Abyssinians showing off their Clausewitzian learning in a way Bennati could never, ever understand.
At this point, Mussolini could not stand aside any longer. He was unwilling to let Somalia become a ruinous defeat. He broke his promise to Grazioli and personally stepped into the breach to coordinate a definitive defense of Muqdishu at least, to occupy the strong Abyssinian forces dedicated to the fighting in Somalia. He completely bypassed Bennati and sent orders directly to divisional commanders, ordering them to withdraw toward Muqdishu. It was, however, too late. Gioris’ militia was encircled and destroyed against the sea, as was D’Oro’s strong militia division. Just under twenty thousand Blackshirts and Somalis surrendered, though both generals were able to extract themselves and reach Muqdishu.
Withdrawal toward Muqdishu, before it turned into defeat and disaster.
By this time, Bennati’s corps had been nearly shattered. Of its thirty-nine thousand men, more than twenty-one thousand were dead, wounded or prisoners. Only Zincone’s three militia brigades remained, damaged by fighting around Beledweyne, as well as Major General Volpini’s two brigades of infantry. When he stepped in to intervene, Mussolini had personally ordered Commander Quillici to detach two transport flotillas under Commander Ciano and sent them to Muqdishu. In early November, the remnants of Bennati’s corps were evacuated to Ed.
Evacuation from Somalia.
The remnants of Bennati’s corps were deposited at Ed without any ceremony and Ciano returned to Italy. Bennati was reattached to Grazioli, but on the understanding that the Sword of Damocles was hanging above his head and would soon fall. Furthermore, this humiliating defeat reflected badly on Grazioli, particularly for his part in ignoring it and helping Bennati ignore it. In addition, it increased the pressure on him to produce definitive results, and to conquer Abyssinia, and particularly before the Abyssinians shifted their forces northward. Abyssinia was quickly making a mockery of Italy.