tftnmb 37655 SUPPLEMENT TO The London Gazette Of TUESDAY, the i6th of JULY, 1946 by Registered as a newspaper WEDNESDAY, 17 JULY, 1946 The War Office,' July, 1946 OPERATIONS OF EAST AFRICA COMMAND, I2TH JULY, 1941 TO 8xH JANUARY, 1943 The following Despatch was submitted on area where General Nasi's forces were still March, 1943, to the Secretary of State for holding out, organised resistance in Ethiopia War by LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR WILLIAM had ceased prior to my predecessor's last PLATT, G.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.O., General despatch which dealt with operations up to the Officer Commanding in Chief, East Africa nth of July, 1941. Command. Although military opposition by .Italian On I5th September, 1941, East Africa Force forces had been almost eliminated, the main- as part of. Middle East Forces was abolished tenance of law and order over more than half and replaced by East Africa Command directly a million square miles of conquered territory under the War Office, covering the territories presented no small problem. The country was from Eritrea in the North to the Zambesi in armed from North to South and from East to the South. My predecessor Lieut.-General Sir West, with rifles, ammunition, grenades and Alan Cunningham, K.C.B., D.S.O., M.C., many automatics. More than 20,000 rifles, left East Africa on 29th August, 1941, to with over 20 million rounds of ammunition had assume command of the Eighth Army in been pumped into Ethiopia from the Sudan Middle East. Until my arrival on 5th Decem- alone to aid the Patriots in their revolt against ber, 1941, Major-General H. E. de R. the Italian oppressor. The Italians issued Wetherall, C.B., D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., acted arms in the unfulfilled hope that they would in command and was responsible for the opera- be used against British forces. Many tions against Gondar. thousands more were gleaned from deserted The Command was divided into four areas. battlefields, and looted from hidden reserve Eritrea as an administrative area in the North: dumps. None of these have yet been returned I2th (African) Division under Major-General to us. None will be. Few have even been C. C. Fowkes, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., covered collected for use by the Regular Ethiopian Ethiopia and British Somaliland: nth Army. They are in the hands of Territorials, (African) Division, transformed into Central Irregulars, and ordinary brigands. Theft of Area, covered Italian Somaliland, Uganda, rifles still continues in a manner worthy of the Kenya, Zanzibar and Tanganyika: Southern North-West frontier of India. Area comprising Nyasaland and Northern Many of these arms were in the hands of Rhodesia under Major-General G. R. Patriot bands owing some form of allegiance Smallwood, D.S.O., M.C., with Headquarters and obedience to numerous Chiefs, who, in at Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia, had also an their turn, owed little allegiance or obedience to advisory brief in the last named. anyone. After action, on the elementary West African formations which had taken principle of living on the country, brigandage part in the operations against Italian East against local inhabitants was frequent. Despite Africa from the South, were due to return to this, the general desire of the Ethiopian to rid their own countries. The 23rd (Nigerian) his country of the Italian, ensured a reasonable Infantry Brigade left in August, 1941, and was degree of security to the roads used by our followed in October by the 24th (Gold Coast) troops as lines of communication. In attain- Infantry Brigade. Owing to shortage of ing-this our Occupied Territories Administra- artillery and engineer units in East Africa, 5ist tion and the edicts of His Imperial Majesty Battery and 53rd Field Company, both of the The Emperor contributed their full share. ^ Gold Coast, were retained temporarily to take The number and variety of responsible part in the reduction of the last remaining administrators, civil and military, with'whom Italian stronghold at Gondar. Except in that Command Headquarters had to deal, often 37^2 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1946 separately, made the task no easier. These The enemy troops about Wolchefit and Chelga included Military Administrators in Eritrea and were contained by troops from the Sudan under Somalia, the Military Governor of British the Kaid. Early in September, with a view to Somaliland, His Imperial Majesty The concerting operations against Gondar as soon Emperor as well as British Military authori- as practicable after cessation of the rains, East ties in Ethiopia, in addition to five civil Africa Command accepted responsibility for all Governors and one Resident in the southern activities from the direction of Asmara and half of the Command territory. The last six Dessie. The Sudanese about Chelga were to were to some extent co-ordinated by the East conform and co-operate, the Kaid, of necessity, African Governors' Conference, but that co- retaining administrative control of his troops, ordination did not at that time include either lath (African) Division took over control of the issue or acceptance of instructions. Even all operations. Plans were made for 25th (East with the good will which has been generally African) and 26th (East African) Infantry accorded to me, this division into territories Brigades to relieve Sudan troops in the Wol- under independent civil Governors does not, chefit area. 25th (E.A.) Infantry Brigade from a military point of view, tend towards effected this relief by 26th September, 1941. ease or rapidity of execution. Towards the end of September, the garrison The problems of the Command were further of the exceptionally strong position of Wolchefit complicated by the state of communications. surrendered. This came as a surprise. It was Except for the short length of railway joining due to pressure by the 25th Brigade and by the Copper Belt in Northern Rhodesia to the Patriot Forces, and to bombing by aircraft. Union of South Africa, the only other railways The road was now clear for our troops to move between Eritrea and the Zambesi, and there forward and make contact with the enemy were in fact only four, ran from West to East. defences North of Gondar itself. A change of There is no North and South railway com- plan was 'made necessary since the original plan munication. had included a preliminary operation for the Save in Uganda and the small Island of capture of Wolchefit. Zanzibar, there was nothing in the British The new plan was, briefly, to concentrate the Colonies, Protectorates and Mandated Terri- main forces about Amba Giyorgis while a tory which could be dignified by the name of column attacked the Kulkaber—Feroaber " road." The so-called Great North road was position from the direction of Dessie, and " great " and " road " in name only, just an others operated along the Metemma—Ghelga earth surface without foundation which the rain road and round the West side of Lake Tana put out of action for anything but the lightest against the road Azozo—Gorgora. traffic for several days at a time. That was our one and only road of communication by Operations were held up for a fortnight by land from North to South throughout British bad weather which made transport very diffi- territory. cult. In the second week of November, the There was a great contrast, both in accom- 2nd Ethiopian Battalion under Lieut.-Colonel plishment and in future planning, in the G. Benson, O.B.E., successfully cleared the countries captured from the Italians. In Italians from their outlying posts between Ethiopia the bankrupt nation of Italy had, in Gorgora and Azozo, after a long and tedious the space of five years, constructed many march round the West side of Lake Tana. hundred miles of tarred and beautifully graded The next thrust was against the Kulkaber— roads rising at points to 9,000 feet above sea Feroaber position, which was held in strength. level, capable of use by the heaviest of traffic An attack by 1/6 King's African Rifles and at all seasons and in all weathers. ist East African Pioneers on I3th November, drove a deep wedge into the enemy's line. Un- PART II.—GONDAR OPERATIONS. fortunately, however, our troops were unable Gondar is situated on the Ethiopian plateau to maintain their positions, and fell back under at a height of about 6,800 feet. To the North- cover of darkness, bringing prisoners with East and South-East the country rises consider- them. ably higher, the highest peak being 14,000 On 2ist November a second attack was feet. To the south the country falls to the launched, 25th Brigade coming in from the depression containing Lake Tana, over 1,000 North and 1/6 King's African Rifles and ist feet below the general level of the plateau. East African Pioneers from the East. After Erosion has 'been considerable, the plateau stiff fighting this attack was successful. being cut up by a series of steep-sided valleys, The way was now clear for the final advance sometimes several thousand feet deep. Com- on Gondar. This took place at dawn on 27th munications on the plateau itself 'and from the November. Opposition was strong and our surrounding plains to the plateau are difficult. troops suffered a number of casualties, the A series of small hills surrounding the town majority of which were from mines and booby of Gondar overlook the principal routes of traps. The enemy's rifle and machine gun fire, approach. The country is generally open, with though heavy, was inaccurate.