First Battle of Massawa: Difference between revisions
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| result = Ethiopian victory |
| result = Ethiopian victory |
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| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the EPLF.svg}} [[Eritrean People's Liberation Front|EPLF]] |
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the EPLF.svg}} [[Eritrean People's Liberation Front|EPLF]] |
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| combatant2 = {{flag|Ethiopia|1975}}<br>{{flag|Soviet Union |
| combatant2 = {{flag|Ethiopia|1975}}<br>{{flag|Soviet Union}}<ref name="Connell2003">{{cite book|author=Dan Connell|title=Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution, 1976-1982|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RUlXLoWw5rgC&pg=PA194|year=2003|publisher=The Red Sea Press|isbn=978-1-56902-189-7|pages=194–}}</ref> |
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| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the EPLF.svg}} [[Mesfin Hagos]] |
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the EPLF.svg}} [[Mesfin Hagos]] |
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| commander2 = {{flagdeco|Ethiopia|1975}} [[Abera Abebe]] |
| commander2 = {{flagdeco|Ethiopia|1975}} [[Abera Abebe]] |
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| units2 = |
| units2 = |
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| strength1 = 3,000 men |
| strength1 = 3,000 men |
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| strength2 = {{flagdeco|Ethiopia|1975}} '''Ethiopian forces:'''<br>6,000 soldiers<br>Unknown amount of Airplanes<br>Unknown amount of ships<ref name="Connell2019" /><br>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union}} '''Soviet forces:'''<br> 1 battleship |
| strength2 = {{flagdeco|Ethiopia|1975}} '''Ethiopian forces:'''<br>6,000 soldiers<br>Unknown amount of Airplanes<br>Unknown amount of ships<ref name="Connell2019" /><br>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union}} '''Soviet forces:'''<br> 1 battleship |
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| casualties1 = At least 2,000 dead<br>400 wounded<ref name="Connell2019">{{cite book|author=Dan Connell|title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WRWbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA358|date=15 July 2019|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-5381-2066-8|pages=358–}}</ref> |
| casualties1 = At least 2,000 dead<br>400 wounded<ref name="Connell2019">{{cite book|author=Dan Connell|title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WRWbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA358|date=15 July 2019|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-5381-2066-8|pages=358–}}</ref> |
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| casualties2 = Minimal |
| casualties2 = Minimal |
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Revision as of 01:24, 8 March 2022
| Battle of Massawa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Eritrean War of Independence | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 EPLF |
 Ethiopia Soviet Union[1] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Mesfin Hagos |
Abera Abebe | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000 men |
Ethiopian forces: 6,000 soldiers Unknown amount of Airplanes Unknown amount of ships[2] Soviet forces:1 battleship | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
At least 2,000 dead 400 wounded[2] | Minimal | ||||||
The Battle of Massawa (also known as the First Battle of Massawa) took place from 1977 to 1978 in and around the coastal city of Massawa in Eritrea. The port was besieged by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) against the forces of Ethiopia, and was one of two battles in and around the city.
The battle
By 1977 EPLF soldiers had claimed all of Massawa save the port itself.[3] This included the main road used by the garrison for the transport of supplies from Asmara. Essentially the garrison was cut off by land and under siege.
On 23 December 1977, the EPLF began a strike through an open field towards the salt flats and port. Soviet warships began to shell EPLF-held portions of the town to prevent its occupation by the EPLF, especially the downtown areas.[3][4] The Ethiopian victory was attributed to the intervention of the Soviet Union on behalf of Ethiopia,[5] and the work of the Ethiopian airforce and naval artillery.[2] This defeat led to a withdrawal, dubbed the strategic withdrawal, into Sahel, the strategic, EPLF-held mountaintops around the town of Nakfa. This battle was also the beginning of direct Soviet involvement in the Eritrean War of Independence, which would continue in other battles.
References
- ^ Dan Connell (2003). Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution, 1976-1982. The Red Sea Press. pp. 194–. ISBN 978-1-56902-189-7.
- ^ a b c Dan Connell (15 July 2019). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 358–. ISBN 978-1-5381-2066-8.
- ^ a b Cooper, Tom (2003-09-02). "Ethiopia and Eritrea, 1950-1991". Archived from the original on 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
- ^ "Another Soviet Push for Power". Time. 1978-02-06. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
- ^ Payton, Gary. "The Soviet-Ethiopian Liaison". Air University Review. XXX (1). Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
See also
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