The Battle of Amba Alagi was fought in May 1941, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, part of the East African Campaign. After the Italian defeat at Keren in April 1941, Prince Amedeo,

Duke of Aosta Duke of Aosta ( it, Duca d'Aosta; french: Duc d'Aoste) was a title in the Italian nobility. It was established in the 13th century when Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, made the County of Aosta a duchy. The region was part of the Savoyard s ...

withdrew his forces to the mountain stronghold at

Amba Alagi Imba Alaje is a mountain, or an amba, in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, Imba Alaje dominates the roadway that runs past it from the city of Mek'ele south to Maychew. Because of its strategic location, Emba ...

. The mountain had galleries carved into the rock to protect the defending troops and hold ample ammunition and stores and the Italian troops thought themselves to be impregnable. According to other sources, however, the fortress was easily defendable thanks to its position and the mountainous terrain, but lacked food and water, so that Marshal

Enrico Caviglia Enrico Caviglia (4 May 1862 – 22 March 1945) was a distinguished officer in the Italian Army. Victorious on the bloody battlefields of the Great War, he rose in time to the highest rank in his country, Marshal of Italy; he was also a Senato ...

later criticised the Duke for having chosen it for his last stand, calling the Amba Alagi "''uno scoglio senz'acqua e senza viveri''" ("a rock with neither water nor food"). The initial attacks on the approaches to Amba Alagi by

British troops The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkhas ...

under Major-General Mayne from the north, commenced on 4 May with a pincer from the eastern and western sides. There was hard fighting in the jagged mountainous terrain but Mayne's troops were joined on 12 May by Brigadier Dan Pienaar's 1st South African Brigade, which had captured the Italian garrison of

Dessie Dessiè City which is politically oppressed by the past Ethiopian government systems due to the fact that most of the population follow Islamic religion. Dessie ( am, ደሴ, Däse; also spelled Dese or Dessye) is a town in north-central Ethiopia ...

(20 April) located south of Amba Alagi, and by 14 May Amba Alagi was completely surrounded. A final assault was planned for the next day but a lucky strike by an artillery shell hit an Italian fuel dump, sending a stream of oil into the last remaining Italian drinking water, forcing the garrison to end its resistance. The Italian commander began ceasefire negotiations on 16 May 1941. The Duke of Aosta and his garrison surrendered to the British commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Cunningham, on 19 May 1941. The Duke and the garrison were accorded the

honours of war The honours of war are a set of privileges that are granted to a defeated army during the surrender ceremony. The honours symbolise the valour of the defeated army, and grew into a custom during the age of early modern warfare. Typically a surren ...

.The Capture of Amba Alagi
/ref> This capitulation marked the end of any significant Italian control on East Africa, although some garrisons would continue to fight until 1943.Diamond, 2012. The film ''

La pattuglia dell'Amba Alagi ''La pattuglia dell'Amba Alagi'' (i. e. "The Patrol of Amba Alagi") is a 1953 Italian war melodrama film written and directed by Flavio Calzavara and starring Luciano Tajoli and Milly Vitale.Anonimo. "La pattuglia dell'Amba Alagi". ''Segnalazio ...

'', shot in 1953 by

Flavio Calzavara Flavio Calzavara (21 February 1900 – 10 March 1981) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 21 films between 1939 and 1956. Filmography * ''Canzone proibita'' (1956) * ''Gli occhi senza luce'' (1956) * ''Napoli piange ...

, glorifies the Italian defence against the British.

Gallery

File:Italian vehicles abandoned in Amba Alagi.jpg, Italian vehicles abandoned on the road to Amba Alagi. File:Seyoum Mengesha addressing his troops.jpg,

Seyoum Mengesha Seyoum Mengesha KBE ( Amharic: ሥዩም መንገሻ; 21 June 1887 – 15 December 1960) was an army commander and a member of the royal family of the Ethiopian Empire. Early life ''Le'ul'' ''Ras'' Seyoum Mengesha was born on 24 June 1 ...

speaks to Ethiopian irregulars under his command. File:25-pounder gun in Amba Alagi.jpg, South African 25-pounder gun fires on Amba Alagi. File:SAF-East-Africa-79.jpg, A battery of 4.5-inch howitzers from the South African Army's 4th Field Brigade in action. File:Surrender of the Duke of Aosta.jpg, Prince Amedeo speaks to

Mosley Mayne General Sir Ashton Gerard Oswald Mosley Mayne GCB CBE DSO (24 April 1889 – 17 December 1955) was a senior British Indian Army officer active in both the First World War and Second World War, where he commanded Eastern Command, India. Earl ...

(leftmost) during the surrender.

References

Sources

* * Diamond, John. ''Archibald Wavell''. Osprey Pub, 2012. * Jaques, Tony. ''Dictionary of Battles and Sieges''. Westport, Conn. Greenwood, 2007 * Shinn, David Hamilton., Thomas P. Ofcansky, and Chris Prouty. ''Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia''. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Amba Alagi, Battle of 1941 Battles and operations of World War II Battle of Amba Alagi Battle of Amba Alagi Battle of Amba Alagi Conflicts in 1941 Battle of Amba Alagi Battle of Amba Alagi Battles of World War II involving Italy Battles involving Ethiopia Battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Battles and operations of World War II involving South Africa May 1941 events

Gallery

See also

References

Sources