By the end of the 1940s, the lack of means and supplies had begun to be felt, while the British were able to launch ever more attacks. One of them, in Somalia, on January 22nd 1941 on the Juba line, held by the troops of General De Simone, despite the acts of heroism, among which we must mention the col. Alberto Mazza, brought the British after about a month to the conquest of Mogadishu. De Simone succeeded in organising his troops and reuniting them with those of the gen. Gazzera in Galla Sidama.
On 20th January 1941 the English troops attacked Adigrat, where Lorenzini with his brigade, that on August 17th 1940, with a miraculous march in Somaliland, had gone round the back of the British, he fought marvellously and, defeated, unable to bring the his troops orderly in safety, ordered “fall out, tomorrow gather at the mountains of Cheren”. The next day at the mountains of Cheren no one missed the appointment. On those mountains, 18,000 men supported furious fighting for 45 days: 12,000 of them died. The col. Persichetti commanding the battalion IV Tosello, in charge of taking the position of Mount Dologorodoc from the English, was taken sick to the front line and being sick on a stretcher he died. On March 17th 1941, the British, after a deadly artillery fire, took the position of Cheren and in a cotunterattack, died Lorenzini, hit by a grenade, the hero of Cheren.
On April 6th the English occupy Addis Ababa. Amedeo d’Aosta remained there until three days before. On April 4th, the cavalry stn Archimedes Carlo Martini dies charging the rebels, in defence of women and children.
Amedeo, April 3th at 5pm, considering the protection of Addis Ababa impossible, went to the Amba Alagi for resistance to the bitter end. The 6th-4th plants his tent in the bush of Alomatà at the foot of the Amba and for 20 days, he climbs daily the 3,400 meters mountain to follow the enemy’s moves. And to reach the summit he had to cross the terrible Pass of Death, constantly monitored by British planes. Under pressure from enemy attacks, the duke moved to the Amba on April 28th and 3,850 men were with him. Of these, after the desperate defence lasting 22 days, only half went down the slopes of the mountain to go to prison. The gen. Volpini, 17th May, who came down to deal with the surrender, was killed by the rebels with Major Bruno and two carabinieri. On May 20th, the resistance ceased and the survivors were granted the honour of arms from the British.
The English gen Platt admired the demonstrations that the natives carried out at the foot of the Amba for the Duke, told him “Your Majesty, the best evidence that it was humanly impossible to do more, it is offered with this manifestation, by your people. You are victorious”.
The cap. pilot Mario Visintini, the Second World War Baracca, of the 412th squadron commanded by cap. Raffi, knocked down 16 air-planes. On 12 December 1940, as the Raffi had been forced to land in enemy territory, he was taken on board by Visintini who brought him to safety and then returned to set the remaining air-plane on fire. On 11 March 1941, during a clash between Hurricanes and Fiat CR 42, as two gregarious had been forced to land, Visintini went beck to the field to refuel and returned in search of his comrades in spite of the prohibitive weather conditions and crashed into the Mount Nefasit.
On the Amba Alagi the gen. Gazzera takes the command of the AO; at Galla Sidama where he resists epically until July 25th 1941 when, without any means to fight, he surrendered to Dembidollo. The general *illegible*, at the head of his troops accomplished an epic march to retreat fighting through a desolate and treacherous territory.
The resistance in Galla Sidama, gen. Guglielmo Nasi remains alone in Gondar to defend the Italian flag, where he resisted four months from July 26th to November 27th 1941. Heroism and bright resistance, twenty gold medals. The redoubt of Gondar was organised in cornerstones: those of Uolchefit and Culqualber commanded by the colonels Gonella and Ugolini resisted to the limits of human possibilities.
The Muntoz Unatù Entisciau dropped the cornerstone of Debra Tabor, was taken by the British, escaped, resumed again ran away and presented itself in front of the cornerstone of Cuqualber to talk with the commander but having been replied that it was not possible, he rushed to our posts crossing a minefield and was horribly wounded. Carried in front of the col. Ugolini, delivered the banner of his 79th battalion and expired saying to his natives “fight with the Italian flag. Italy, do not lose. Enemy now strong but Italy…”. Many sallies to break the circle. The garrison of Uolchefit is forced to surrender on September 28th 1941 being granted the honour of war. The English major Ringrose wrote to Gonella “the skill and heroism of the resistance opposed by your officers and men in front of artillery fire, air strikes, hunger, and privations are the object of admiration by the British army”. Colonel Gonella was decorated with the military order of Savoy. It was placed twice on the war bulletin. “The soldiers of Gondar during the resistance sang: you do not know us, let us say, we are the gondarini hard to die”. General Nasi proclaimed “Uolchefit was six times the Mount Grappa of Ethiopia” The garrison of Ulchefit had 87 aerial bombardments and 20,000 artillery shells.
Culqualber resisted in tragic conditions and privations. Colonel Ugolini who was in command, had the gold medal and military order of Libya and was mentioned with his departments three times in the bulletins of war until 21 February 1941.
Colonel Adriano Toselli (gold medal), commander of the 22nd colonial brigade known by the motto “do not give up” made epic sorties from the stronghold of Gondar to loosen the enemy pressure and to supply the besieged with food.
Nicola Toriello, commander of the 4th group of indigenous cavalry squads, at the vanguard of the Maraventano unit coming from Addis Ababa, tried to rejoin the Gondar garrison. After his heroic resistance he surrendered and kept hidden, sewed under the lining of his coat, throughout the captivity, the banner.
After the surrender of Culqualber on 21th November, the British could launch the decisive attack against Gondar. To the three battalion commanders of Culqualber was awarded the gold medal for memory. The pilot captain Zanzottera when he had no more equipment (commanded the 52nd bombing squadron) among the blue battalions of the aviators left without aircraft, fought while being on the ground. Eventually, he was captured. Brought to Addis Ababa where his wife was, he thought of escaping with her but was instead transferred to Dire Dawa. He fled, he was apprehended, he escaped again. He secretly sees the wife who was a nurse among the prisoners, “the angel of Dire Dawa”. The English to capture him prevent his wife from leaving with the first convoy of men and women who return. Gino tries to escape with a few comrades through Djibouti but in Dancalia, assaulted by indigenous gangs, falls pierced by arrows and poisoned spears. A survivor brought his wife Eva a bloody booklet in which Gino had written “If I died, my blood for my country, my soul for God, my body for the hyenas”. These words are carved on an empty tomb but always covered with flowers. In the prison camp in *illegible* our soldiers erected a stele in memory of the Duke of Aosta “A gold medal, R. Amedeo di Savoia, duke of Aosta, viceroy of Ethiopia. Here I am! To strong things the strong soul light up the urns of the strong”.
The funeral of the Duke: a chest with the coat of arms of the Savoy carried by two bars across the pit. Prisoners officers and soldiers in great uniform stand at attention. Far away a few Englishmen wearing field uniforms.
Struck by typhus and malaria, he died in Nairobi between 2nd and 3rd March 1942 at 03:45. His last words to the doctor “Do you remember doctor, when I was looking for death on the Amba Alagi? It would have been vanity. We must know how to die even in the hands of the enemy, in a hospital”.
Old Images Of Africa 