The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-03
BY EDWARD BEATTIE
United Press STAFF Correspondent

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Adds ABABA, Aug. 3.-Ethiopia
is going to stake its men and its
mountains against Italy's modern
army equipment If there is war.
Her arms are Insignificant by mod
ern standards. But two years of
watching Nazi Germany rearm, did
not produce the impression which
two days in Adds Ababa have pro
duced on the United Press cor
respondent.
Hotel clerks, messenger boys, DON
key boys are drilling in their spare
moments along with men and boys
from other walks Of life. Ethiopians
are arriving from points one-third
of the way around the earth to
volunteer.
The correspondent passed today
dozens Of groups drilling and
marching in the streets. Some were
armed; others just drilling. All
were deeply concentrated.
Rangy. jostling, footed men
at arms came trooping into town,
hundreds strong. Those in the en-
tourages of the tribal chiefs may
carry rifles so years old, but they
carry them with confidence and
familiarity and they shoot.
On the slow. humping. rafting
narrow gauge railway from Djibouti
on the coast, this correspondent saw
miles of powders where it was i'm
possible to step along fatty. There
wore lava flows capable of cutting
feet-or army boots-to ribbons,
waterless wastes, gOrges.
But the real difficulties start with
the plateau and its huge erosion
gulches, its 15O00-foot mountains,
its 5000-fOot chasms, its fever-rid-
den valleys-with only mule tracks
for roads.
This combination brings many
foreigners to the belief that an Itsl-
ian attack, in event Of war, would be
stalled after a short advance south
ward after the conquest of all of
Cgaden below the plateau edge.
CThe Italians are expected to at
tack southwark from the hilly north
west corner of Eritrea, in their
main force: and to advance west
ward to take the Ogaden lowlands
bordering on SOmaliland)
If the Ethopians avoid a pitched
battle, if they stick to guerilla tao
tics in which they are skilled. if
they remain unpanicked by gas and
other unknown weapons. the con-
quering of the plateau may mean
years of slow. consolidated effort at
prohibitive cost in men and money,
in the opinion of these foreigners.
Others point to the meager Etho-
plan equipment and ask what
chance they have against tanks and
airplanes.
The correspondent has asked resi-
dents about air attack. They look
about their capital and reply:
1T is men they must break, not
houses"
The Amhara fighting men are now
tilling their fields by biblical meth
DDS. In a month they will take up
their rifles and bandoliers, their
wicked curved swords, and rally in
feudal manner to their chiefs when
the war drums sound.
Reliable authorities estimate that
between 100000 and 100000 rifles
will flock to the emperor.
OF the rifles. perhaps one-hfth
are modern. The correspondent
counted at least six antiquated
types among the railway police. But
the Ethiopians say:
There will be two Spearmen be-
hind every rifle. Every Spearman
will be ready to snatch the gun
from a dying comrades hand"
These warriors probably would be
cut to pieces if they were lured
into open battle-say in defense of
some spot such as sacred Askum,
on the northern border. where le-
gend says the earth swallowed the
ark of the covenant in protection
against Arab pillageS.
But the warriors carefully hus-
band their ammunition. They are
capable of going tremendous dis
tsnces and of making lightning
changes of direction. They are
mediocre shots. but they are for
midable close fighters. 1t is esti-
mated that about only 10000 are
drilled along modern lines. But
these warriors are a real army and
they know the land.
When a newcomer hears the hy-
enaS bowling all night long on the
city's rim, the white technique
somehow seems less imnor+a,+