Battle of Mek'ele

Part of the First Italo-Ethiopian War

Date	January, 1896
Location	Mek'ele, Ethiopia
Result	Ethiopian victory

Belligerents

Italy

Ethiopia

Strength

1,183 (1,000 Eritrean Askari and 183 Italians)

Unknown

Casualties and losses

Unknown

First Italo-Ethiopian War

Halai Coatit Amba Alagi Mek'ele Adwa Tigray

The Battle of Mek'ele, sometimes known as the siege of Mek'ele, took place in January 1896 during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. Italian forces surrendered a partially completed fort at Mek'ele, a city in the northern Tigray Region of Ethiopia which they had occupied since 1895, to Ethiopian forces.

The Italians numbered by 20 officers, 13 non-commissioned officers, and 150 in the ranks, supported by 1,000 Askari and two mountain guns. After two weeks of bombardment by Ethiopian artillery - which possessed a longer reach than that of the Italians - the Ethiopians managed to cut off the fort's water supply, prompting the defenders surrender.^[1]

References

Notes

↑ McLachlan (2011) p. 12.

Written sources

McLachlan, Sean (2011). Armies of the Adowa Campaign 1896: The Italian Disaster in Ethiopia. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1849089388.

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