March of the Iron Will
| March of the Iron Will | |||||||||
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| Part of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ethiopia
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Pietro Badoglio
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Abebe Aregai
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 12,500 Italians 4,000 Eritreans |
None | ||||||||
Decisive unopposed Italian victory
The March of the Iron Will (Marcia della ferrea volontà), or the Iron-Will Column (Colonna della ferrea volontà), was a Fascist propaganda event staged during the final days of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. The goal of the march was to capture the Ethiopian capital in a show of force.
From 26 April to 5 May 1936, an Italian "mechanized column" under the command of Marshal of Italy (Maresciallo d'Italia) Pietro Badoglio advanced unopposed from the town of Dessie to take Addis Ababa. The march covered a distance of approximately 200 miles.
On 3 October 1935, elements of the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) under General Emilio De Bono invaded the Ethiopian Empire from staging areas in the Italian colony of Eritrea on what was known as the "northern front". De Bono was the Commander-in-Chief of all Italian armed forces in East Africa. In addition, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the forces invading from Eritrea, the "northern front." Forces based in Italian Somaliland under General Rodolfo Graziani invaded Ethiopia on what was known as the "southern front." Ground forces on both fronts were amply supported by the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica).
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Wikipedia