Why did the Italian army become an international laughing stock at the Battle of Adua?

If Germany becomes the initiator of the world war again, it must come from the sanctions of the Treaty of Versailles, the persecution of the Great Depression and the connivance of the appeasement policy of Britain and France. If Hitler launches an armed invasion with confidence, it must be inseparable from Mussolini's "credit".

As the "originator" of fascism, Mussolini, who calls himself "the new Caesar", has already had the ambition of aggression and expansion. But almost all European powers are fighting for overseas colonies, and there is no way. He focused on Ethiopia, a small African country (then called Abyssinia). Why is this?

Vanity fascist "boss"

First of all, he has been trying to consolidate his position since he took office. His fascist rule still aroused strong opposition. In order to better reflect its status, transfer domestic hot-spot contradictions, and incorporate Ethiopia into its territory, it is bound to gain the support of the whole country, thus enhancing its prestige.

Second, prove yourself to Hitler. As a "rising star", "moustache" has shown an aggressive side since taking office, surpassing him in all aspects. Especially in the military, advanced weapons and equipment and high morale of the troops made the fascist "boss" somewhat unconvinced.

Especially after the then Austrian Prime Minister was quietly assassinated by the Nazis, the Austrian government under his protection turned to him for help. Although Germany and Italy are already allies, Mussolini, who considers himself the "boss", dispatched four divisions and deployed them on the German-Italian border.

In fact, protection is false, and it is true to establish the prestige of "boss" in front of "moustache". As a result, the "moustache" not only lost face, but also further threatened the Italian army, and finally the Italian army had to withdraw from the border. This incident made him lose face, and he tried his best to prove his strength.

More importantly, the country was once the "eternal pain" in the hearts of the Romans.

It turned out that/kloc-in the late 9th century, Italian troops sent troops to Ethiopia. Although the Ethiopian armed forces fought back, the military strength between the two sides was too different, and the Italian army moved forward effortlessly. As the new king of this country, Menelik is a man who has seen the world. In order to safeguard his sovereignty, he decided to paralyze the other side before developing his military strength.

Therefore, in order to win enough time for military preparations, he signed the Treaty of Uchari with Rome and agreed to cede part of his territory. And in the next few years, import a large number of advanced guns and equipment. However, in the eyes of the Italian army, this low-key monarch is a mindless aborigine.

The arrogant Romans sent troops again in order to completely colonize the country. Faced with the sudden situation, Monilik led the people to fight back. Now most of his soldiers have excellent weapons provided by Europe and America.

The ignorant Italian army always thought they were just a mob. When the Italian army appeared in Aldois, Ethiopian soldiers rushed out from all directions like a flood. Although there are imported weapons and equipment, compared with the Italian army, their army is a product of the Middle Ages, and it is still at a disadvantage.

However, Ethiopian soldiers armed with swords and muskets did not retreat. They advanced and rushed to the Italian position. In the end, the Ethiopian army won and took 1 March 8961as their national day. Their dedication to national independence has won the respect of the whole world while being marveled as a miracle.

On the contrary, the Italians were completely angry after hearing the news of defeat, which was a complete shame. Western society is also in an uproar because they can't understand that an army equipped with advanced weapons will be killed by a group of African indigenous soldiers.

The battle of Adua, instead of making it a colony, made the proud army a laughing stock of the world. It was not until 1935 that Mussolini's 300,000 troops set foot on this land again, which not only showed the "moustache" the powerful fighting capacity of the Italian army, but also washed away the shame that they had been obsessed with for more than 40 years.

A victory that is not worth the loss.

As in those years, Ethiopian soldiers stubbornly resisted this brutal fascist army. They used the mountainous terrain to organize ambushes, which frustrated the Italian army's attacks many times and dealt a heavy blow to the arrogant Italian army. This just war has won the support and sympathy of people all over the world.

Under the strong condemnation of public opinion, the League of Nations declared the Italian army aggressive, demanding its withdrawal and imposing economic sanctions on it. However, the British and French practice of "much thunder and little rain" is actually the connivance of appeasement policy. Seven months later, Italy declared Ethiopia its colony.

This long-lost victory cheered all Italians. However, this "greatest colonial war in history" boasted by Mussolini did not stop, and the people in the occupied areas still clung to the mountain resistance and inspired the world anti-fascist forces. At the same time, it also made the opponent pay a high price.

First of all, the return is not worth spending. Although Ethiopia was conquered, its territory doubled. But this country lacks everything except sand, and there are very few resources that can be plundered after occupation. At the same time, the industrial base is very weak, the population quality is low, and there are few things that can be used.

To put it bluntly, it is a barren land, and everything has to start from scratch. In order to stabilize the situation in the occupied territories, a large number of troops have been deployed abroad all the year round, but it is impossible to "support the war with war" and the necessary materials have to be shipped from home. In fact, everyone with a discerning eye knows that the return is not enough to cover the cost.

Secondly, the unjust war is opposed by the whole world. An aggressive war of "bullying the small with the big" will naturally not be recognized by the people of the world. Coupled with various economic sanctions, strategic materials such as steel, rare metals and rubber have been included in the embargo list, making the Italian industry, which is already short of resources, even more stretched.

What's more, it almost emptied Italy's treasury. This African country is so vast and poor that the investment in various infrastructures is staggering: during the occupation, they invested at least 6 billion lira, which is six times the annual budget of the navy (65.438+0.3 billion lira), and this money can build 90,000 tanks.

This heavy burden is a fatal blow to its economy. Historian henry adams once commented: "The fate of a country is doomed at this time, because this vain and thoughtless war has prematurely consumed the capital accumulated for the world war."

Of course, the biggest gain in this battle was Hitler. While preparing for the war, he is most worried about the strategic deployment and policy determination of European countries. Mussolini, who loves vanity, "led the way" for him, let him thoroughly see the true colors of countries such as Britain, France and the United States, and added greater confidence for him to wage war.

It is said that the performance of the Italian army in World War II is more like a "comedian" telling jokes, but the "brainless" approach of its fascist "boss" just shows that "a soldier will make a nest."

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