De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia
| De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia | |||||||||
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| Part of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ethiopian Empire
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Emilio De Bono
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Ras Seyum Dejazmach Haile Selassie Gugsa (POW)
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| Strength | |||||||||
| Approx. 125,000 | Approx. 15,000 | ||||||||
De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia took place during the opening stages of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Italian General Emilio De Bono invaded northern Abyssinia from staging areas in the Italian colony of Eritrea on what was known as the "northern front."
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had long held a desire for a new Italian Empire. Reminiscent of the Roman Empire, Mussolini's new empire was to rule over the Mediterranean and North Africa. His new empire would also avenge past Italian defeats. Chief among these defeats was the Battle of Adowa which took place in Abyssinia on 1 March 1896. Mussolini promised the Italian people "a place in the sun", matching the extensive colonial empires of Britain and France.
Ethiopia was a prime candidate of this expansionist goal for several reasons. Following the Scramble for Africa by the European imperialists, it was one of the few remaining independent African nations. Acquiring Ethiopia would serve to unify Italian-held Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. In addition, Ethiopia was considered to be militarily weak and rich in resources.
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