Chapter 3: Battle of Gondar
24 January 1936
After the battle of Tembien concluded, Marshal Balbo was given pictures of the Ethiopian anti-tank weaponry. He slammed his fists on his briefing table, to the shock of his senior officers. The Germans had been supplying the Ethiopians! This was probably due to the Italian opposition to German aggression in Europe.
The war needed to be concluded quickly before too many Italian casualties are piled up. Already they had lost four L3 tanks during the Battle of Tembien, and his armoured divisions needed to be supplemented with cavalry.
"We will proceed through the Shire (Northern part of Ethiopia) and attack their stronghold at Gondar," Balbo instructed. "Tell General Cavallero to start his invasion of Southern Ethiopia."
His senior officers nodded in response. Gondar would be a major challenge. It hosted an estimate of 30,000 to 40,000 Ethiopian soldiers. A decisive victory at Gondar would eliminate any chance Ethiopia had at victory.
*************************************************************************************************************************************************************
27 January 1936
"Cigarette?" Luigi offered the Askari next to him. The black soldier happily took his offer and smoke next to him. The Eritrean soldier introduced himself as Isaiah. The soldiers were given a break for the night after advancing 20 km into enemy territory. They would be approaching Gondar soon.
Shire
They had continued their progress through the highlands of Shire, and it was a slog. They were harassed by hit-and-tun tactics by the Ethiopians at every turn, and lost an additional two more L3 tanks. Luigi was unlucky enough to be assigned as the new point vehicle. This meant his L3 tank was closest to the enemy frontlines and would be the prime target for anti-tank fire. He needed a distraction to get that thought off his mind.
"Why do you fight for us?" asked Luigi curiously.
"I just want to killed Ethiopians. I have yet to get 1 kill yet," the Askrai replied in broken Italian. Luigi pondered over Isaiah's words. Maybe he just needed something to look forward to in the war. Surviving was a reward in itself.
*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
1 February 1936
After a week of tenacious travel, the Italians found themselves at the outskirts of the mountain fortress of Gondar. If their commander's prediction was right, this would be the last major engagement of the war.
"Avanti! (Forward)!"
Once again Luigi revved his tank into full gear as they assaulted the fortress. Artillery and bombers planes had breached the fortress. Counter battery fire from the Ethiopians were weak and inaccurate. As Ethiopian soldiers poured out of the gaps in the fortress, the Italian fired at them.
Toldo's bloodlust eyes lit up as he gunned down enemy after enemy. He told Luigi to speed up into the fortress -- he wanted to slaughter more Ethiopians. Luigi complied. The L3 tank grunted as it changed direction and rushed towards the gap of the fortress.
Immediately, gunfire lit up around the L3 tank. Toldo fell silent. Luigi did not need to be look at the his vehicle commander to know that he had been shot. The silence from the L3's machine gun spoke enough. Wisely, Luigi swerved his vehicle aside.
Toldo was dead. His face had been shot off into an unrecognisable pulp.
"Rest well, sergeant," the scared Luigi prayed as he continued machine gun fire on the approaching Ethiopians. The approaching soldiers returned fire, and their rounds bounced off the L3's armour. The college students knew he had to do something soon. The L3's armour was thin, and all the Ethiopians needed to do was to use a well-placed explosive and he was done for.
As if to answer his prayers, a loud explosion diapered the Ethiopians. Where did it come from?
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
"I will make another pass around the surrounded L3 tank," reported Lieutenant Caviglia. Expertly, he twisted his CR 32 biplane around and fired a short machine gun burst at the mass of Ethiopian soldiers.
So far in the war, they had encountered zero enemy fighter planes. This meant that the CR 32s were assigned to strafe any open ground units.
"We have air superiority; the air is clear," a fellow pilot replied over the radio. Within half an instant, the same voice screamed. "Not clear, I repeat, not clear!'
In the distance, Caviglia saw approaching enemy fighters - they were British-made Gloster Gladiators. They numbered 13. He dipped his plane and joined his fellow pilots in formation to protect the bombers. As the Gladiators drew near, he noted that their pilots were mainly Caucasians. They were mercenaries.
Initially the dogfights caused zero casualties. One of the Gladiators eventually singled Caviglia out and made a beeline for him. Caviglia grinned as the opponent fell into his trap. Executing an expert an Immelmann turn, he managed to reposition his plane behind the tail of his adversary. With a short burst of machine gun fire, the Gladiator's left wing evaporated and was forced to crash land. That was first time Caviglia ever downed a plane. A rush of thrill ran down his spine. He was ready for the next fight.
Unfortunately the remaining planes broke formation and retreated. "Do not pursue," his wing commander instructed.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
2 Feb 1936
It took the entire day to finally enter the fortress. Fierce fighting erupted at the base but Isaiah and the Askari cavalry was finally through. Isaiah hacked down the nearest Ethiopian with his shotel (traditional East African sword), and turned. The streets of Gondar was filled with a mix of panicked military and civilian personnel. It was going to be difficult to discern between the two.
Yet fighting continued. At every street corner hid a potential ambush, and in every window positioned a potential sniper. Isaiah found himself in high alert at every junction he entered, or at every door he opened. His trusty shotel saved him from two street ambushes so far.
Fighting continued throughout the night. Despite a sense of finality, the Ethiopians fought twice as far and even barricaded themselves behind the inner walls of the fortress. Finally on 8 February with annihilation of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, the city was taken.
After the loss of Gondar, the Ethiopian authorities agreed to a ceasefire.