page_title: Royal Corps of Somali Colonial Troops
section_title: Second Italo-Ethiopian War & Italian East Africa
hierarchical_section_title: Royal Corps of Somali Colonial Troops / History / Second Italo-Ethiopian War & Italian East Africa
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of a group of Zaptié (colonial military police) from Italian Somalia in 1939 Italiano: Gruppo di Zaptié (Carabinieri delle colonie italiane) in Somalia
context_page_description: The Royal Corps of Somali Colonial Troops was the colonial body of the Royal Italian Army based in Italian Somaliland, in present-day northeastern, central and southern Somalia.
context_section_description: During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, the Somali Colonial Troops served alongside soldiers from Italy and Eritrea in a second attempt by Italian troops to defeat the Ethiopian forces.
  In the Battle of the Ogaden, commanded by General Luigi Frusci who was to move forward to the pivotal point of the "Hindenburg Wall" of Ethiopian defenses under Wehib Pasha (a military advisor to the Ethiopian army), the Royal Corps of Somali Colonial troops in April 1936 fought bravely defeating the Ethiopian troops. They received an Italian "Military Gold Medal" award mainly for this victory.
  On 5 May 1936, Italian troops captured Addis Ababa after defeating Ethiopia during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Benito Mussolini then proclaimed the establishment of Italian East Africa, which unified Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland with defeated Ethiopia. Addis Ababa was later made the capital city of Italian East Africa. The Somali Colonial Troops would then be merged with other Royal troops, creating even the Italian African Police and the Somali "Carabinieri" (Zaptie).
  In 1940, the Somali Colonial Troops were officially added to the Italian Army, establishing the Italian Somali Divisions (101 and 102).
  After World War II, a former member of the Zaptìé corps, Siad Barre, became President of Somalia from 1969 to 1991.
caption: Group of Zaptié in Italian Somaliland (1939).
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