Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-08-28
Neil
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able arms to defend successfully; the
line of communications was running
for miles within few kilometers Of
the Negus' positions, and was being
raided constantly.
Any sort of an offensive from the
Ethiopian side toward Makale in the
ticklish days of December probably
would have resulted in a general re-
treat from Makale. deep as such good
strategy, Strengthening out the line,
would have wounded Italy's pride.
The western end of the line, where
the crescent started forward again,
seemed impregnable for the Italians
had two battalions of Blackshirts and
a regiment of native troops (askaris)
camped short of the Tacazze, a deep
gorge, full of rushing water 20 feet
deep in November. and crossed only by
one ford, at Mai Timchet.
But the dry season dried up the
Tacazze, eliminating the gorge as a
line of natural defense, and one
bright morning in December, while
the Italians were worrying about Ma
kaie, Ras Immiru. with 10000 men, hit
at the other end of the line.
They crossed the Tacazze at the
dried-up ford of Mai Timchet, an
initiated the Blackshirts almost be-
fore they were awake, chased the As
karis through valley after valley.
So certain had the Italians been
of this Tacazze as a perfect defense,
and SO pressing were the problems else
where that no secondary defense line
had been prepared. The territory was
so barren, so mountainously high and
rough that troops could not be rushed
into the breach.
Heads Toward Eritrea.
The first thing the high command
knew, mmiru was marching, unmo-
Tested and without an Italian soldier
ahead of him, straight for Asmara,
capital of Eritrea, Italy's original
jumping-of place.
So bad was the situation then that
newspaper men were almost interned
in, Asmara. They were allowed to
cable only the briefest dispatches, re-
ferring to none of this Immiru
marched forward, apparently aiming
to enter Eritrea near Hausien, and the
Italians couldn't get at him.
Badoglio, from his headquarters on
the other end of the line. telephoned
his aviation headquarters in Asmara
You alone stand between Italy and
destruction" was his plea. do some
thing, and do it quick"
They did something. quickly.
They loaded the big S81 bombers
with ybrite. a kind of mustard gas
powder that burns to the bone when
it comes in contact with perspiring
skins. For four days the planes
scared over Immiru's long black lines.
Giving 'em the fit" was the way the
aviators put it.
They never dropped bomb. never
fired machine gun, fearing to scat
ter the heavily concentrated men be-
low. Immiru, standing in front of his
tent one morning, laughed at the ma
chimes above.
"They try to fight us by throwing
dust in our eyes," he said.
But within four days his armies
were on fire. Feet. touching at dawn
dewey grass sprinkled with the powder
from above, burned to the bone. Soon
the armies were in torment. They
stopped in front of Hausien. They
could stand it no longer. They went
back. The Italians plugged the gap
in the line and the only real Ethiopian
threat of the war was ended.
British Red Gross doctors in Adds
Ababa after the occupation told me
they treated 5000 cases of burns in
that army. From this one incident,
apparently, came all the gas atrocity
reports, for Italian aviators, never re-
ticent, insisted they never gave 'em
the fit anywhere else.
Tomorrow: Startling conclusion
as to Italy's ambitions.)