Italian Invasion of British Somaliland

Somaliland (13-15 August 1940)

Author: Sergio "Zingales" Castaldi

July 28, 1940 the Marshal Badoglio decided to attack British Somaliland that venue conduct from a "Body of Operation" commanded from the General Noses (Commanding military in Eastern Africa) and composed from a total of 26 Battaglioni (of which 23 settlers and 3 national) and 21 batteries of artilleries of varied caliber, for a comprehensive force of about 35.000 men. The conduct of the action was considerable simplified from the features of the British Somaliland, a mainly desert territory of undergrowth equatorial, that it is centered in exclusive manner on the inhabited center boss (that represents also the sole port) of Berbera. Badoglio therefore decided to advance to gain Berbera.

The Italian attack begun on 3rd August 1940 and at first was given from the simple approach of the Italian departments to the positions of departure for the attack in direction of Berbera, against which alone sporadic cases had been and limited defense from the British side. Already on the 6th of August the General Noses ordered its columns to move in a direction of Berbera from four directors with the intent to surpass the British defense and to semicircle around the town. On the 7th of August the second phase of the attack started after three days they approached the hostile positions and carried out the Battle of the argon, the main defensive position of the British in Somaliland at the entrance of Berbera. After an initial preparation, that included 11 days of an intense aerial bombardment, three colonial Italians companies and some moderate departments passed to the attack without obtaining any ground because of the strong resistance the British garrison put forth. The Italian forces, leaned from carts M-11/39, from carts L-3/35 and from armored car Fiat 611 succeeded to do some progress on the road to the capital of Somaliland. At this point the General Godwin Austen arrived at the conclusion that the only possible alternative to save the departments was to fold on Berbera and to get ready the evacuation of the British troops. Such decision was taken for the necessity to protect Aden, whose port was vital for the communications with the Indian Ocean, from every possible action aside Italian.


This is how it became to be known as the Italian occupation of the Somaliland.
It notes of game:


The original excerpt was written in Italian.Translation was done on Babel Fish Translation services with a little touch-ups from the staff of Waridaad News.