De Bono ' s invasion of Abyssinia De Bono ' s invasion of Abyssinia took place during the opening stages of the Second Italo - Abyssinian War . Italian General Emilio De Bono invaded northern Abyssinia from staging areas in the Italian colony of Eritrea on what was known as the " northern front . " Background . Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had long held a desire for a new Italian Empire . Reminiscent of the Roman Empire , Mussolini ' s new empire was to rule over the Mediterranean and North Africa . His new empire would also avenge past Italian defeats . Chief among these defeats was the Battle of Adowa which took place in Abyssinia on 1 March 1896 . Mussolini promised the Italian people " a place in the sun " , matching the extensive colonial empires of Britain and France . Ethiopia was a prime candidate of this expansionist goal for several reasons . Following the Scramble for Africa by the European imperialists , it was one of the few remaining independent African nations . Acquiring Ethiopia would serve to unify Italian - held Eritrea and Italian Somaliland . In addition , Ethiopia was considered to be militarily weak and rich in resources . In November 1932 , per a request from Mussolini , De Bono wrote up a plan for an invasion of Ethiopia . What he wrote indicated that he envisioned a traditional mode of penetration . A limited force would move gradually southward from Eritrea . The force would establish bases of strength and , from these bases , advance against increasingly weakened and disorganized opponents . The invasion DeBono envisioned would be cheap , easy , safe and slow . Italian invasion . At precisely 5 : 00 am on 3 October 1935 , General Emilio De Bono crossed the Mareb River and advanced into Ethiopia from Eritrea without a Declaration of War . In response to the Italian invasion , Ethiopia declared war on Italy . At this point in the campaign , roadways represented a serious drawback for the Italians as they crossed into Ethiopia . On the Italian side , roads had been constructed right up to the border . On the Ethiopian side , these roads often transitioned into vaguely defined paths . General Emilio 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 . " De Bono had under his direct command a force of nine divisions in three Army Corps : The Italian I Corps , the Italian II Corps , and the Eritrean Corps . General Rodolfo Graziani was De Bono ' s subordinate . He was the Commander - in - Chief of forces invading from Italian Somaliland , the " southern front . " Initially he had two divisions and a variety of smaller units under his command . Soon after De Bono advanced from Eritrea , Graziani would advance into Ethiopia from Somaliland with a force of Italians , Somalis , Eritreans , and Libyans . Adigrat and Adwa . On 5 October , the I Corps took Adigrat and , by 6 October 1935 , Adwa was captured by the II Corps . In 1896 , Adwa was the site of a humiliating Italian defeat during the First Italo – Ethiopian War and now that historic defeat was " avenged . " But , in 1935 , the Italian capture of Adwa was accomplished with almost no Ethiopian resistance . Haile Selassie had ordered " Ras " Seyum Mangasha , the Commander of the Ethiopian Army of Tigre , to withdraw a day ' s march away from the Mareb River . Later , he ordered " Ras " Seyum and " Dejazmach " Haile Selassie Gugsa , also in the area , to move back fifty - five and thirty - five miles from the border . Italy declared aggressor . On 7 October , the League of Nations declared Italy the aggressor and started the slow process of imposing sanctions . However , these sanctions did not extend to several vital materials , such as oil . The British and French argued that if they refused to sell oil to the Italians , the Italians would then simply get it from the United States , which was not a member of the League ( the British and French wanted to keep Mussolini on side in the event of war with Germany , which by 1935 was looking like a distinct possibility ) . In an effort to find compromise , the Hoare - Laval Plan was drafted ( which essentially handed 3 / 5ths of Ethiopia to the Italians without Ethiopia ' s consent on the condition the war ended immediately ) , but when news of the deal was leaked public outrage was such that the British and French governments were forced to wash their hands of the whole affair . Surrender of Haile Selassie Gugsa . On 11 October , " Dejazmach " Haile Selassie Gugsa and 1 , 200 of his followers surrendered to the commander of the Italian outpost at Adagamos . De Bono notified Rome and the Ministry of Information promptly exaggerated the importance of the surrender for propaganda purposes . Haile Selassie Gugsa was Emperor Haile Selassie ' s son - in - law . But less than a tenth of Haile Selassie Gugsa ' s army defected with him . Two weeks before the invasion , Haile Selassie had been warned that Haile Selassie Gugsa was not to be trusted and he was shown evidence that suggested that his son - in - law was already in the pay of the Italians . But the Emperor had shrugged it off . Slavery abolished . On 14 October , De Bono issued a proclamation ordering the suppression of slavery . However , he was to write : " I am obliged to say that the proclamation did not have much effect on the owners of slaves and perhaps still less on the liberated slaves themselves . Many of the latter , the instant they were set free , presented themselves to the Italian authorities , asking ' And now who gives me food ? ' " Axum . By 15 October , De Bono ' s forces moved on from Adwa for a bloodless occupation of the holy capital of Axum . The old Fascist entered the city riding triumphantly on a white horse . However , the invading Italians he commanded looted the Obelisk of Axum and , in 1937 , it was taken to Rome . Ethiopian mobilization on the northern front . Meanwhile , the Ethiopians had mobilized on the northern front . On 17 October , for four hours in Addis Ababa the 70 , 000 strong " Mahel Safari " jogged past the Emperor . The " Mahel Safari " was led by " Ras " Mulugeta Yeggazu , the Minister of War . " Ras " Mulugeta and the " Mahel Safari " then moved out by foot along the " Imperial Highway " to Dessie . From Dessie , " Ras " Mulugeta moved his army slowly north towards Amba Aradam . The " Mahel Safari " halted along the way to raze villages and to flog the chiefs of the recalcitrant Azebu and Raya Oromo . In Gondar , the capital of Begemder Province , " Ras " Kassa Haile Darge of Shewa Province called a " chitet " , the traditional mustering of the provincial levies in Begemder . " Ras " Kassa raised an army of 160 , 000 men . " Ras " Kassa ' s oldest son , " Dejazmach " Wondosson Kassa , was " Shum " of Begemder . With one - third of this total number , " Ras " Kassa , along with sons Aberra Kassa , Asfawossen Kassa , and Wondosson Kassa , moved north to link up with " Ras " Seyum in the area around Abbi Addi . In Debra Markos , the capital of Gojjam Province , " Ras " Imru Haile Selassie raised an army of 25 , 000 . He moved north into the area around Shire . In Semien and Wolkait , " Fitawrari " Ayalew Birru was already threatening the Eritrean frontier with 10 , 000 mountaineers . Makale . De Bono ' s advance continued methodically , deliberately , and , to the consternation of Mussolini , somewhat slowly . On 8 November , the I Corps and the Eritrean Corps captured Makale , Haile Selassie Gugsa ' s capital in eastern Tigre . This proved to be the limit of how far the Italian invaders would get under the command of De Bono . Increasing pressure from the rest of the world on Mussolini caused him to need fast glittering victories . He was not prepared to hear of obstacles or delays from De Bono . Aftermath . On 16 November , De Bono was promoted to the rank of Marshal of Italy ( " Maresciallo d ' Italia " ) . But , in December , he was replaced on the northern front because of the slow , cautious nature of his advance . On 17 December , De Bono received State Telegram 13181 ( " Telegrama di Stato 13181 " ) which indicated that , with the capture of Makale , his mission was accomplished . He was replaced by Marshal Pietro Badoglio . Almost immediately , Badoglio was faced with an Ethiopian counterattack known as the Christmas Offensive .