Battle of Genale Doria

Battle of Genale Doria
Part of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Date 12 to 20 January 1936 Location Valley of the Genale Doria River, Ethiopia Result Decisive Italian victory Destruction of Ras Desta's southern army
Belligerents
Kingdom of Italy Italian Eritrea Italian Somaliland Italian Libya	Ethiopian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Rodolfo Graziani Pietro Maletti Olol Diinle	Desta Damtu Afawarq Walda Samayat † Beine Merid
Strength
Approximately 20,000	Approximately 24,000
Casualties and losses
Light	9,000 killed or missing Almost entire army ultimately neutralized as a fighting force

Decisive Italian victory

 Kingdom of Italy

The Battle of Ganale Doria (also known as the Battle of Genale Dorya or as the Battle of Genale Wenz) was a battle on the "southern front" fought during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The battle consisted almost entirely of air attacks by the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) against an advancing and then withdrawing Ethiopian army under RasDesta Damtu. The battle was primarily "fought" in the area along the Genale Doria River valley between Dolo and Negele Boran.

Technically, Ras Desta Damtew launched an Ethiopian offensive against the Italian forces in Somaliland. However, General Rodolfo Graziani carried out his active defense so vigorously that it became an offensive.

On 7 March 1935, General Rodolfo Graziani landed in Mogadishu. He was in a disagreeable mood. In his opinion, the decisive battles of the upcoming conflict would be fought in the north. Nearly the whole of the Italian expeditionary force was assembling in Eritrea. It appeared to him that he had been relegated to a secondary front in Italian Somaliland and his role would be purely defensive.

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Wikipedia