In 1935, Italy, a significant colonial power, had already occupied Eritrea for nearly 40 years. The fascist regime nevertheless aspired to expand its colony located on the Horn of Africa. Already in 1896, Italy had unsuccessfully battled Adwa with the aim of taking Ethiopia. Driven by this disgrace, in 1935 Italian troops invaded the Abyssinian empire without any declaration of war. Asmara, because of its location in the highlands, was an ideal military location, which offered Europeans a relatively comfortable climate and was a good site strategically. And so, Asmara became the main supply base for the Italian offensive during the Abyssinian War. With a vengeance, the regime under Mussolini set their sights on taking the kingdom. With nearly 400,000 men and 450 aircraft – these were half of the Regia Aeronautica – the Italian forces were far superior to the Abyssinians. The Italians also had the support of the Askari, who followed the Italian troops during the war. During the war against Ethiopia, 60,000 Askari fought on the Italian side. In the almost one-year-long fight, during which even poison gas was used, around 150,000 Abyssinians were killed. Historian Hans Woller marks the war in Abyssinia as the bloodiest military conflict to take place after WWI.