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The Italian tentative to occupy French Somalia was an attempt to occupy French Somaliland by fascist Italy, which occurred in the first two months after Italy's declaration of war in World War II against the Allies. This resulted in a temporary occupation of the western areas of the border of French Somaliland by the Italians in the summer of 1940, until the British conquest of Italian East Africa in the early months of 1941.
Italian attacks change
On June 17, 1940, some Italian aircraft undertook a reconnaissance of Djibouti, pointing out five or six warships in the port and twenty aircraft at a nearby aerodrome. On the same day, the French evacuated around the peripheral station of Dadda'to and Douméra near the border with Eritrea.
The Italians took some offensive action from June 18. From Harrar Governorate, troops under General Guglielmo Nasi attacked Ali-Sabieh Fort in the south and Dadda'to in the north. There were also skirmishes in the Dagguirou area and around the Abbe and Ally lakes. Near Ali-Sabieh, there were some intense fighting for control of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad in the territory bordering Ethiopia.
In the first week of war, the Italian "Regia Marina" sent the "Torricelli" and "Perla" submarines to patrol and block French territorial waters in the Gulf of Tadjoura off the port of Djibouti. By the end of June the Italians had also occupied the border fortifications of Magdoul, Daimoli, Balambolta, Birt Eyla, Asmailo, Tewo, Abba, Alailou, Madda and Rahale.[1]
At the beginning of July almost a quarter of French Somalia was occupied by the Italians.
The armistice between Italy and France, signed on June 25, 1940, put an end to the Italian offensive, leaving the French in control of the capital Djibouti and its environs. It is necessary to remember that in August of 1940 Italian troops also occupied the small Fort Loyada (in the southern border to the south-east of Djibouti) in the victorious offensive to conquer the British Somaliland.
Notes change
- ↑ Imbert-Vier. "Frontières et limites à Djibouti durant la période coloniale (1884–1977)" section: Italian attacks in 1940
Bibliography change
- Imbert-Vier, Simon (2008). Frontières et limites à Djibouti durant la période coloniale (1884–1977) (PhD thesis). Université de Provence–Aix-Marseille I.
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