The East African Campaign

[Monty]

Hi,

I am doing some research on the East African Campaign of WW2 from 19 January to 27 November 1941. I am trying to find out the main German Divisions involved and the Generals in charge. Does anyone have a clue? I have serached the web for help and all that comes up is the East African conflict in WW1.
Any extra info about this area would also be helpful

Thanks,

Robert

[Friedrich H]

I'm confused...

Which campaign are you talking about? The only German campaign in Africa in WWII was Rommel's in Lybia, Tunisisa and Egypt. Is that the one you mean?

If so, Rommel's divisions during the campaign were:

5th light division —later 21st Panzer division
15th Panzer division
90th light division
Airborne brigade 'Ramcke'.

And I'll come latter with the units of V Panzer Army sent to Tunisia in 1943 —which included 10th Panzer division— and Italian units.

If that's the campaign you're referring too...

[Monty]

Oops, i got mixed up It was the colonials and the indians against the Italians i think. there were no German divisions involvded. Sorry.

[MalcolmII]

Do you mean Ethiopia, Sudan campaign?

Aye
MalcolmII

[Monty]

This is the one i mean East African Campaign

[Friedrich H]

On July 4th 1949, Lt. Gen Guglielmo Nasi struck westward from Ethiopia into Sudan. His troops captured several border towns and arrived within 300 miles of Khartoum. Within 6 weeks, Nasi conquered British Somaliland, causing the British to evacuate from the Sea at Berbera.

Italy had 280.000 troops available with almost 400 aircraft. Of these troops, approximately 200.000 were native Africans and approximately 80.000 were Italian. The British, on the other hand, had only 19.000 troops in British Somaliand, Kenya and Sudan. Although some of the British troops were made of colonials, the general Italian military force in Africa was made up of 70% African troops. These troops fought well in hand to hand combat, but was noted by many Italian officers that they "panicked" when under fire. On August 6th 1940, British Somalialand surrendered to the Italians.



On November 6th 1940 the British mount their counteroffensive in the Sudan town of Gallabat. 7,000 troops under the command of general Sir William Slim storm Gallabat with tank and infantry. Without air cover, he was unable to achieve his goals. The Italian Air Force shot down 5 gladiators and bombed his troops, killing 42 and wounding 125. The attack on Italian forces ended with a British withdrawal.

On January next year the Duke of Aosta —Italian C-in-C in East Africa— orders the abandonment of Gallabat and Kassala and moves his 50,000 man army to more rugged ground in Agordat and Barentu east of Kassala and sends on the 12th élite Savoia Grenadiers to defend Keren.



The Duke of Aosta.

On January 27th 1941 2 Indian Divisions under Major General Platt attack Agordat and 2 Indian Infantry Brigades attack Barentu. After 3 days of heavy fighting, the Italian Army withdraws to the Keren Plateau. At this point, the Duke of Aosta, in command at Addis Ababa, has only 67 aircraft available for combat in all East Africa. Fuel and supplies are at an all time low, and infantry could only be moved on foot.

The British attack Keren on February 3rd with a force of 30.000 against 23.000 Italians made up of 3 Brigades of Colonial Levies and 3 Brigades of Savoia Grenadiers. After attacks and counterattacks, the Italians were able to push the Indian Infantry Brigade back. Then the Scottish attacked and were also repelled by the Italians. Finally, on March 27th, the British were able to push the Italian forces back from Keren after 7 weeks of fighting. In this battle, 3.000 Italians die and 500 British die with 3.000 wounded.

At Ethiopia on February 19th South African troops capture Jumbo after heavy fighting with Italian forces. In 3 hours, Italian Artillery fire over 3.000 shells and on March 6th General Nasi smashes through a Ethiopian battalion near Burye with only 12,000 remaining troops.

On March 16th the Royal Navy begins pounding installations in Berbera , the city was already abandoned by Italian soldiers. Berbera is regained by the British later that day.

On April 1941 Italian civil authorities in Asmara surrender to the British. In total, the British forces were able to take 40.000 prisoners of war and destroy 6 Italian divisions in 3 months. Italian destroyer Leone runs aground off Eritrea and is scuttled by its crew to prevent it from being captured by the British.

On early April Italian destroyers Daniel Manin and Nazario Sauro are sunk off Eritrea by British bombers. The destroyers Pantera, Tigre and Cesare Battisti are scuttled near Massaua. Italian torpedo boat Giovanni Acerbi is sunk near Massaua by British bombers. The last Italian warship in East African waters, the torpedo boat Vincenzo Giordano Orsini, is scuttled by its crew prior to the British entering the harbor.

On May 5th, after 5 years in exhile Emperor Haile Selassie triumphantly returns to Addis Ababa in an Italian Alfa Romeo limousine.



Generals Platt and Slim.

And the Ethiophian Emperor:

[Friedrich H]

And here's the Order of Battle —which of course shows that there was not a single German soldier there— for the invasion of British Somalialand, July 4th 1940:

EAST SCACCHIERE
Command: General Nasi

LEFT COLUMN
General Bertoldi

70th Colonial Brigade
17th Colonial Brigade

RIGHT COLUMN
General Bertello

1 Colonial Battalion
2 Dubat Battalions
1 camel pack artillery battery

CENTRAL COLUMN
General De Simone

'Harar' Division
13th Colonial Brigade
14th Colonial Brigade
15th Colonial Brigade
1 Medium tank platoon (12 M11/39)
1 Light tank platoon (12 L3/35)
1 armored car squadron
(Fiat 611)
1 149/13mm heavy field artillery battery
1 105/28mm heavy field artillery battalion

COASTAL COLUMN
General Passerone

1 Blackshirt Battalion
1 Colonial Battalion
1 mixed unit

RESERVE
Colonel Lorenzini

2nd Colonial Brigade

[Friedrich H]

The Battle of Keren

February 1st - February 6th 1941

·11th Grenadier Regiment —including Bersaglieri Battalion 'Africa'—
11th Colonial Brigade
-3rd Colonial Cavalry Battalion
-15th Colonial Cavalry Battalion
-104th National Artillery Battalion
-106th National Artillery Battalion
-2nd Colonial Artillery Battalion
-5th Colonial Artillery Battalion

February 7th - February 13th 1941

-Alpini Battalion 'Uork Amba'
2nd Colonial Brigade
5th Colonial Brigade
44th Colonial Brigade
-2nd Colonial Cavalry Battalion
-1st Battalion/60th Field Artillery Regiment
-36th National Artillery Battalion
-102nd National Artillery Battalion —1 AT battery—
-6th Colonial Artillery Battalion
-11th Colonial Artillery Battalion
-12th Colonial Artillery Battalion

February 14th - March 14th 1941

11th Blackshirt Legion
-44th Blackshirt Battalion
-MG Battalion
6th Colonial Brigade
12th Colonial Brigade
-4th National Artillery Battalion
-103rd National Artllery Battalion
-22nd National AA Artillery Battalion

March 15th - March 27th 1941

-150th Blackshirt Battalion
-170th Blackshirt Battalion
41st Colonial Brigade
61st Colonial Brigade
16th Colonial Brigade

[No.9]

Good summary Freddy.

Can’t really let Abyssinia pass without a credit to the exceptional Orde Wingate (of Burma Chindit fame) and his Gideon Force.



No.9

[Kiwiwriter]

Nope, the Germans missed East Africa in World War II.

They did fight there in German East Africa (Tanganyika) in World War I, under Lt. Col. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, whose mastery of guerrilla warfare kept his armies in the field and victorious for four years. They were brought to heel not by British forces but by the 1918 Armistice, which ordered their surrender. He had to give the exhausted British chasing him supplies after the ceremony.

Lettow-Vorbeck's tiny force came home to a huge welcome and Germany's only victory parade.

Wrong war.

The Gurkhas who fought in Ethiopia said the Italians there were the toughest troops they faced, including Germans and Japanese.