Italian invasion of British Somaliland
On the 9th of May 1936, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaimed the foundation of Italian East Africa. This new colony combined Italian Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, and Ethiopia after the Second Italo-Ethiopian War ended on the 5th of May 1936. The region became a threat to British supply routes along the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, and the Red Sea. On the 10th of June 1940, Mussolini declared war against Britain and France. The Italian General Staff had assumed there would be no war until 1942. Their forces were not prepared for a long war or to occupy large tracts of Africa. In mid-1939, Lieutenant-General Archibald Wavell was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Middle East Command. He faced frontiers guarded by about eight men to the mile. Wavell concluded that a defensive strategy was the only feasible policy. He intended to mount delaying actions at main posts and hope for the best. The Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden convened a conference in Khartoum at the end of October 1940 with Emperor Haile Selassie and South African General Jan Smuts. An offensive strategy was decided on against Ethiopia using Arbegnoch Patriots.
The battle for Tug Argan began on the 11th of August 1940 when Italian artillery bombarded then attacked the west end of the Assa Hills. A brigade of infantry pushed back the defending company of the 3rd Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment before being repulsed. Attacks on Mill Hill and Knobbly hills failed during the day. On the 12th of August all British positions were attacked simultaneously. By evening Mill Hill had been captured after determined resistance by troops of the Northern Rhodesian Regiment. Two howitzers from the East African Light Battery were lost. The Italians established themselves in the Assa Hills dominating the southern side of the gap. On the 13th of August defenders of Knobbly Hill defeated another attack but Italians infiltrated down Mirgo Pass past defended localities. They ambushed a convoy carrying water and ammunition which managed to fight its way through to Castle Hill. After four days the defenders were tiring and there was no better position to retreat to. Godwin-Austen informed Henry Wilson that further resistance at Tug Argan would be futile. Early on the 15th of August Godwin-Austen signalled his conclusions to Wilson who ordered him to withdraw from the colony.
The Royal Navy had built an all-tide jetty and commenced evacuating civilian and administrative officials. On the 16th of August the British started to embark troops. Attacks by Italian aircraft on vessels in the Gulf of Aden began on the 8th of August with little effect. The auxiliary vessel Chakdina suffered splinter damage. On the 17th of August the Italian western column at Bulhar was engaged by the light cruiser Ceres and halted by gunfire. After dark the rearguard was withdrawn to Berbera with minimal losses. Loading was complete by the early hours of the 18th of August. At 05:35 three Blenheim bombers bombed Italian vehicles near Laferug and were intercepted by two CR 32 fighters. One Blenheim went down in flames. Two crew members died in hospital of burns. Before sailing for Aden early on the 19th of August, the cruiser Hobart stayed behind to collect stragglers. The tug Queen was the only British ship lost in the operation. Her crew scuttled her on the 18th of August. Italian forces refloated the tug and renamed her Eritrea. Most of the Somalis of the SCC were sent home to wait for the British to return.
On the 31st of July 1940 eighteen Ca 133 bomber transport aircraft arrived at the Scelene airstrip near Dire Dawa. During the afternoon flights of three SM 81 bombers attacked shipping off Zeila. Two waves of six Blenheim Mk Is from 8 Squadron and 39 Squadron bombed the Italian airfield at Chinele which had been discovered that morning. As the second wave of six Blenheims arrived Corrado Ricci took off in his CR 32 fighter and shot one down. On the 4th of August two SM 79 bombers of 44° Squadriglia arrived at Dire Dawa. Three Blenheims of 8 Squadron made three attacks on Italian motor columns west of Hargeisa. One Blenheim was shot down by a CR 32 of 410° Squadriglia. An 8 Squadron Blenheim was damaged by twelve attacks by CR 42s. The Italian pilots claimed one bomber shot down and another probable. Flights of three SM 79s from Addis Ababa were transferred to Dire Dawa. Six Ca 133s and three SM 81s attacked the Godojere Pass on the 11th of August. A SM 81 was shot down by ground fire.
In 1954 Ian Playfair wrote that British forces suffered 260 casualties during the campaign. He estimated Italian casualties at 2,052 men. Seven British aircraft were shot down and ten were badly damaged in fourteen days fighting. In 1988 Alberto Rovighi wrote that Italians suffered 465 men killed, 1,530 wounded and 34 missing for a total of 2,029 men. Of these 161 were Italian and 1,868 were local Eritrean and Somali Ascari units. Somali irregulars supporting the British suffered about another 2,000 casualties during the invasion. About 1,000 Somali irregulars became casualties fighting on the Italian side. In 1993 Harold Raugh wrote that 38 British casualties had been killed and 222 wounded. Christopher Shores gave the same figures for Italian casualties as Maravigna in 1996. Andrea Molinari recorded 1,995 Italian casualties and four aircraft destroyed in 2007. The capture of the colony was the greatest success of the Italians in the East African campaign but they were unable to exploit opportunities created.
Winston Churchill criticised Archibald Wavell for the loss of British Somaliland. Because of few casualties Churchill thought the colony had not been vigorously defended. He proposed a board of inquiry. Wavell refused to co-operate and said Godwin-Austen and Wilson conducted a textbook withdrawal in face of superior numbers. General John Dill stated Churchill was moved to greater anger than he had ever seen him before. The incident began the end for Wavell who was superseded by Claude Auchinleck in July 1941. Adolf Hitler called the evacuation of the colony a hard blow. Mussolini annexed the colony to Italian East Africa as part of the Italian Empire. News of the evacuation came as a shock to British public opinion. In 2016 Andrew Stewart wrote that defenders did well to resist for as long as they had given the exiguous nature of the force. The defence took place during the Battle of Britain and could not be portrayed in heroic terms. Churchill was wrong to condemn Wavell and his subordinates but as Minister of Defence he could dictate consequences to defeated generals.
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Common questions
When did the Italian invasion of British Somaliland begin?
The battle for Tug Argan began on the 11th of August 1940 when Italian artillery bombarded and attacked the west end of the Assa Hills. The campaign started after Mussolini declared war against Britain and France on the 10th of June 1940.
Who commanded the British forces during the Italian invasion of British Somaliland?
Lieutenant-General Archibald Wavell was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Middle East Command in mid-1939 to oversee the region. Godwin-Austen informed Henry Wilson that further resistance at Tug Argan would be futile before ordering a withdrawal from the colony.
What were the casualty figures for the Italian invasion of British Somaliland according to Ian Playfair?
Ian Playfair wrote in 1954 that British forces suffered 260 casualties during the campaign while estimating Italian casualties at 2,052 men. He also recorded that seven British aircraft were shot down and ten were badly damaged in fourteen days fighting.
Where did the evacuation of British troops take place during the Italian invasion of British Somaliland?
The Royal Navy commenced evacuating civilian and administrative officials from an all-tide jetty built near Berbera. Loading was complete by the early hours of the 18th of August before ships sailed for Aden.
Why did Winston Churchill criticize Archibald Wavell after the Italian invasion of British Somaliland?
Winston Churchill criticized Archibald Wavell for the loss of British Somaliland because few casualties occurred so he thought the colony had not been vigorously defended. Churchill proposed a board of inquiry but Wavell refused to co-operate with the investigation.