East Africa Campaign: Liberation of Italian East Africa
The East Africa Campaign (June 1940 - November 1941) saw British, Commonwealth, and Allied forces drive Italy from its East African empire - Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Italian Somaliland - in one of the most geographically sweeping campaigns of the war. After Italy declared war in June 1940, its forces in Italian East Africa (250,000 strong) briefly seized British Somaliland. General Wavell organised a counter-offensive from multiple directions: from Kenya in the south, from Sudan in the north. Addis Ababa fell on 6 April 1941, and Emperor Haile Selassie - who had been in exile since 1936 - re-entered his capital. The final Italian resistance at Gondar surrendered on 27 November 1941. The campaign eliminated a significant threat to Egypt and the Red Sea supply route, and restored the first African head of state to power after Axis aggression. Over 230,000 Italian and colonial troops were captured.
- Year: 1940 CE
- Category: Military
