In this last months I was thinking to refight the battle of Adowa, founght in Ethiopia (at that time called Abyssinia ) the 1st March 1896 between the Italian Army and the Negus Menelik’s army.
So I spent my holiday re-reading all the books I have on that argument.
It was one of the big battles of the colonial history.
The Italians were around 14.000 and the Abyssinians a numbers between 100,000 and 140.000.
It ended in a terrible defeat of the new Italian Royal Army, due to lack of generalships, wrong strategic and nasty tactical decisions.
The wrong approaching points , from our HQ, were:
-Night march in an area partially unknown , full of mounts, and with the help of not trustworthy guides; this cause also tiredness on our troops, expecially the white soldiers, as the movement started at night 09.00 PM of the 29th February.
-Decision to divide the Corp of operation in 4 independent Brigades;
-Brigades’ s Heliographs left at main camp without any reason;
-Reduction of ammo for soldiers and guns and reductions of transport (mules) for speed of the units;
-Lack of orders from the CinC Gen Baratieri, he had not in his hands , never, the control of the battles ( we’ll see later that any Brigades will fought his personal battle);
-Not bringing with the Corp of operation the cavalry, available and expert. The Abyssinian ‘s Galla irregular cavalry made a tremendous impact on our forces during the retreat, and this could have been avoid if our cavalry was at hand. Our Penne di Falco (hawk feathers ) was made of askaris with Italian officers, and has already shown capacities against the Dervishes;
-Map given to brigades Commanders was a sketch , with wrong name, wrong position of some mounts and without a scale:
- Understimation of our enemy, our spies reports that the army of Menelik were between 40-60.000 men, with few food and low morale;
Apart the above points, which will have bring any army to descruction, must be added that new fresh troops arrived from Italy were made of inexperienced soldiers taken from various Home Regiments and put togheter in new formations.
So lack of cohesion and also the officers doesn’t know their soldiers.
Last but not least, the Italian Government pick up the Moschetto 91, a new rifles, and gave to these soldiers the old Vetterly; just to make uniform rifles and ammunitions with those of the Askaris.
So we fight against an enemy that in many cases had better weapons than ours.
Incredible to say, but with all these problems and mistakes our only expert brigade made of Askaris with 2 batteries of mountain artillery fought and repulse a force ten times is numbers for hours.
Around 09.00 am after more than 3 hours of fight the Abyssinian army was repulsed for the third time and most of the warriors returned back to Adwa camp.
Seems that a victory could arose to the Italian but ….legend said that Taitu’ Queen and wife of Menelik esorted his husband and the warriors not to be coward.
Apart the legend the Menelik Negus decide to put in the battle the Guard, another unit of around 34.000 soldiers.
They were repulsed too, but at 10.30am Italian artillery was out of ammunition and so start the end of Albertone’s Brigade.
The Menelik’s army attacked the central Brigades enveloping them and later , in another separate battle, butchered the Dabormida’s Brigade, get lost in a valley instead give an help to Albertone’s Brigade.
In the battle and following retreat Italians lost more than 7.000 men , and the pursuit of the enemy followed for another 2 days. About 2.000 white and askaris were taken prisoners, mostly of the 800 askaris suffered cut of right arm and left leg, for have fought against the Abissynians.
Abyssinian army lost 7-8.000 warriors killed, plus a number between 10-12.000 wounded of whom mostly died .
Obviously to refight Adowa should start with a different approach; so ok for the Vetterly instead the 91, so ok for fresh new troops from Italy, but here the changes:
- CinC will be Gen. Baldissera , who was on travel to Massaua ( our capital city in Eritrea ) to replace Gen. Baratieri just on the same hours of the battle ;
- No night march , the Corp of Expedition will start his movement in the morning of the 1st of March ;
- Use of heliograph attached to each Brigades, and cavalry unit on the reserve;
- Use of reconnissance done by our irregular units with Italian officers, to explore the area just ahead of our tropps;
- No split of the brigades as a separate and independent corps;
- More mules for transport ammunitions for guns and rifles;
Here the composition of the Corp of Operation:
CinC Gen. Baldissera
Native Askaris Brigade Gen Matteo Albertone
1°Battalion .Askaris ....(magg.Turitto).......rifles 950
6° "" ""....................( "" Cossu).........." 850
7° "" ""....................( "" Valli)............." 950
8° "" ""....................( "" Gamerra......." 950
Iirregular bands of Asmara,Dechi Tesfà e Tigray ,Lt. Sapelli e Lucca rifles 376
Prima Brigata Artiglieria da Montagna (magg.De Rosa):
1^Batt.Indigeni..............(capitano Henry).....guns 4
2^ " "....................I Sez.(ten.Vibi).........." " ...2
3^ " "....................(capitano Bianchini)..." "...4
4^ " "....................( " " Masotto)...." "...4
_________
Total :rifles 4076-guns 14
1st Infantry Brigade (generale Giuseppe Arimondi)
1°Regg.Stevani:
1°Batt.Bersaglieri............(De Stefano).........rifles 423
2° " "....................(Compiano).........." 350
2°Regg.Brusati:
2°Batt.Infantry ................(Viancini)................" 450
4° " "......................(De Amicis)............" 500
9° " "......................(Baudoin)..............." 550
1^Coy Askaris of V battalion (ten.Pavesi)......." 220
8^Batt.da Mont................(Loffredo)............guns 6
2^ " " "...................(Franzini)............. " 6
_______
Total :rifles 2493-guns 12
2nd Infantry Brigade (generale Vittorio Emanuele Dabormida)
3°Reggimento Ragni :
5°Batt.Fant.........(Giordano)...................rifles 430
6° " "..........(Prato)......................... " 430
10 " "..........(De Fonseca)................ " 430
6°Reggimento Airaghi:
3°Batt.Fant.........(Franchi)......................." 450
13° " "..........(Raineri)........................" 450
14° " "..........(Solaro)........................." 450
Batt.Militia of Askaris (De Vito)....................." 950
Chitet Asmara (Sermasi)...................." 218
2^Brigata Artiglieria da Montagna (Magg.Zola) :
5^Batteria..........(Mottino).....................guns 6
6^ " ".............(Regazzi).................... " " 6
7^ " ".............(Gigla)........................ " " 6
________
Total :rifles 3808-guns 18
3rd Infantry Brigade (generale Giuseppe Ellena)
4°Reggimento Romero :
7°Batt.Fant..........(Montecchi)...............rifles 450
8° " "...........(Violante)...................." " 450
11° " "...........(Manfredi)..................." " 480
5°Reggimento Nava :
Batt.Alpini...........(Menini)......................" " 550
15°Batt.Fant........(Ferrero)...................." " 500
16° " ".........(Vandiol)...................." " 500
3° Askari battalion (Galliano)...................." " 1150
1^Batteria..........(Aragno)................guns.....6
2^ " ".............(Mangia)................ " ".....6
half coy Genio(sappers) ......................rifles....70
Total :rifles 4150-guns 12
Composition of Menelik’s Army
Negus Menelik (Scioa) from 34.000 to 38.000
Iteghiè Taitù (Queen ) (Semièn) 5.000 to 6.000
Ras Makonnèn (Harràr) 15.000 to 16.000
Ras Michael (Wollo-Galla) 14.000 to 15.000
Uagscium Guangùl (Lasta) 10.000 to 11.000
Fitaurari Gabejehù 13.000 to 14.000
Fitaurari Mangascià Atikim 5.000 to 6.000
Ras Taklà Haimanòt (Goggiàm) 5.000 to 6.000
Ras Oliè (Ieggiù) 6.000 to 7.000
Ras Mangascià e (Tigré)
Ras Alula (Hamasèn) 3.000 to 4.000
Total from 110.000 to 123.000 warriors, mostly armed with rifles , plus some batteries of artillery , but in the battle they didn’t gave any results, small caliber at long distance.
The rule I think to use is Kitet (call to arms for Abyssinian warriors) an amatorial set taken from an original idea of Mr. Richard Brooks, who published many years ago “Eritran Roulette “ and “ Besieged by the Mahdi “ on Wargames Illustrated.
The scale is a grand tactical with 1 stand of infantry 1 Italian Battalion or half Native Battalion, 1 stand of artillery 1 battery.
1 stand of Abyssinians 1000 warriors.
The field of battle will be a table of 100 x 120 cms, that will suit well my project.
Turning to the ground , many reports of the time mention about a ground broken, with many mountains that will not allow to see in distance; full of ravines, gullies.
I believe that this feeling was due to the night march and influenced by the chaos of the battle.
Modern visitors , (an Italian photographer in 2009 visit the area of the battle ), mention of a ground with many mountains but with open valleys and easy hills between ; where a brigade could gather and maneuver for a battle. Certainly not like the Omdurman plain, but neither the Lunatic ground described after the battle.
So using modern technologies, eg Google earth, I ’ll reproduce the ground with the principal mountains and leave the ground as it is.
Some strategical tips for the game, in order to left unkown the movement of the Abyssinians to the Italians , I made a simple system to test randomly when the Menelik’s army decide to move and on which direction.
With the order to move of the Italian Corp at 06.00 am , and considering their speed, I’ll make tests randomly to see when and where the Abyssinians will be.
Apart the morale section, already included in the set of rule , I have worked another system , general morale, for the Abyssinians. As the hate and envy were sentiments very common for the Ras Makonnen and Ras Mangascia against Menelik , (both of them reclaimed the throne of the Negus ), if 1 or more units of Menelik’s Guards will retreat, both Ras will leave the battlefield with their armies.
As Negus Menelik was in the eve of the battle in the opinion to withdraw due to lack of foods and disattisfaied by his Ras , and he came into battle just because at 05.30 am an advanced party of 1st native Battalion arrives at the outskirt of Adowa, and this caused a general mobilization; I have decided to keep this option with a special test done in the early morning of the 1st march, to see if Menelik decide to withdraw or to engage the coming Italian army.
Historically b oth armies were in front of each other, spaced less than 20 klms , for 2 weeks, both of them undecided on what to do , both of them with the fear that a retreat could be seen as a defeat.
After all more than a refight this should be a study of what could have happened .
The armies are quite ready, just to paint some more strips of Abyssinians warriors.
The figures are all Irregualar Miniatures in 6mm.
In the close future I’ll post pictures of the troops and ground , then start the battle.
Hoping that this big project will be of interest for some of you, more news will follow.
Ps sorry for my English, good for short sentence, not so good for longer