The First Victory

by Andrew Stewart

  control of the air (i)

  dedicated mobile column (i)

  discussions with Dickinson (i)

  does everything asked of him (i)

  East African Command (i)

  focuses on Kassala (i)

  fostering insurrection (i)

  Gallabat offensive (i)

  Indian divisions (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Massawa casualties (i)

  multinational force, a (i)

  Patriots, his opinion of (i)

  road from Asmara, the (i)

  scuttling of Italian ships (i)

  sums up achievements (i)

  unsustainable losses (i)

  use of deception (i)

  Wavell and Smuts meet (i)

  Wingate and (i)

  Poland (i)

  Ponte Mussolini (i)

  Port Said (i)

  Port Sudan (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  Portuguese (i)

  Premindra Singh Bat (i)

  Pretoria (i)

  Pricolo, General Francesco (i)

  Public Works Department (i)

  Punch (i)

  Punjabis (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  railways (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Railways Workshops (i), (ii), (iii)

  rainfall (i)

  Rajputana Rifles (i), (ii)

  Ras Hailu (i)

  rations (i)

  ‘red bombs’ (i)

  ‘Red Oath’ (i)

  Red Sea

  attractions of to Italians (i)

  danger from Italy (i)

  Italian Flotilla (i), (ii), (iii)

  lines of communication (i)

  Massawa (i)

  opening of Suez Canal and (i)

  safeguarding access to (i), (ii)

  Umbria detained (i)

  Wavell understands importance of (i), (ii), (iii)

  Regia Aeronautica (i), (ii)

  Regia Marina Italiana (i)

  Reserved Areas (i)

  Rhodes, Cecil (i)

  Ringrose, Basil (i), (ii)

  Robertson, Colonel Brian (i)

  Rommel, General Erwin (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  Roosevelt, President Franklin D. (i)

  Royal Air Force

  achieving air superiority (i)

  aerial photography and reconnaissance (i), (ii)

  available resources (i)

  identifying Italian artillery (i)

  Keren (i)

  little support from (i)

  Tug Argan (i)

  Royal Artillery (i), (ii)

  Royal Engineers (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Royal Fusiliers (i), (ii)

  Royal Mint (i)

  Royal Natal Carbineers (i)

  Royal Navy

  air support required (i)

  attack on French ships (i)

  representative of (i)

  ships available (i)

  transport of supplies (i), (ii)

  Volunteer Supplementary Reserve (i)

  Royal Palace, Addis Ababa (i)

  Royal Sussex Regiment (i)

  Royal Tank Regiment (i)

  Royal United Services Institute (i)

  Ruanda-Urundi (i)

  Rudolf, Lake (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  Sabderat (i)

  Sanchil, Mount (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  Sandford, Daniel (i), (ii), (iii)

  Santoro, General Giuseppe (i)

  Savoia Grenadiers

  Keren (i), (ii), (iii)

  last remaining battalions (i)

  machine gun battalion (i), (ii)

  protecting Addis Ababa (i)

  Savory, Brigadier Sir Reginald (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  Schnee, Heinrich (i)

  Schutztruppe (i)

  ‘Scramble for Africa’ (i)

  Selassie, Emperor Haile (i), (ii)

  Churchill’s intervention (i)

  Crown Prince (i)

  Ethiopians in favour of (i)

  forced to flee (i)

  George Steer (i)

  liberates regional capital (i)

  rebel movement awaits return (i)

  Royal Palace (i)

  Wingate and (i), (ii)

  Senegal (i), (ii)

  Sheikh Pass (i), (ii)

  shifta (i), (ii)

  shipping routes, importance of (i)

  Sidamo (i)

  Sidi Barrani (i), (ii), (iii)

  Signal Hill (i), (ii)

  Sikhs (i), (ii)

  Simonds, Major Tony (i)

  Singapore (i), (ii)

  Skinner’s Horse (i), (ii), (iii)

  Slatter, Air Commodore Leonard (i)

  Slim, Brigadier William (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Smallwood, Brigadier Gerald (i)

  Smith, Brigadier Arthur (i), (ii)

  Smith, Reginald (i)

  Smuts, Lieutenant-General Jan

  Addis Ababa decision (i), (ii)

  additional division offered (i)

  appointed commander-in-chief (i)

  becomes prime minister (i)

  Churchill and (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  domestic tensions (i), (ii)

  greater responsibility for (i)

  increasingly forceful opinions of (i)

  international control of East Africa (i)

  Kismayu (i)

  senior politician, a (i)

  united Africa, ideas for (i)

  Whitehall turns down offer (i), (ii)

  Soddu (i)

  Somaliland Camel Corps 50 see Camel Corps

  Somalis see also British Somaliland; Italian Somaliland

  characteristics of (i)

  KAR operations against rebels (i)

  nomadic population (i)

  refugees in Aden (i)

  trouble with Ethiopians (i)

  South Africans

  acknowledgement of role (i)

  Addis Ababa (i)

  aircraft (i)

  Air Force (SAAF) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  British relationship with (i)

  Chalbi desert advance (i)

  decisive contribution (i)

  field guns (i), (ii)

  first major military action (i)

  forces arrive (i)

  loss of unit (i)

  political instability (i)

  settlers from in East Africa (i)

  Smuts put in command (i), (ii),

  support from requested (i)

  tanks (i)

  water, provision for (i), (ii)

  Wavell on understrength battalions (i)

  Southern Rhodesia (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) n6

  Southern Rhodesia Air Force (i), (ii)

  Staff College, Camberley (i), (ii), (iii)

  Star of Solomon (i)

  Steer, Captain George (i), (ii), (iii) n32

  Strada Imperiale (i)

  Strada Royale (i)

  Strohm, Dr (i)

  Subadar Richpal Ram (i)

  Sudan

  aircraft based in (i), (ii)

  Churchill’s priority (i)

  conditions (i)

  insufficient garrison (i)

  Mahdist threat (i)

  mode of governing (i)

  rainy season (i)

  separate military commands (i)

  threat of Italian expansion (i)

  Wavell’s command area (i)

  Wavell’s troop numbers (i)

  Sudan Defence Force (SDF) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)

  Suez Canal

  1869 opening (i)

  continued British presence required (i), (ii)

  Italian threat (i), (ii), (iii)

  one point of access guaranteed (i)

  shortens delivery times (i)

  Sussex Regiment (i)

  Swahili (language) (i)

  Symes, Sir Stewart (i)

  Syria (i)

  Tana, Lake (i), (ii)

  Tana, River (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Tanga (i)

  Tanganyika (i), (ii), (iii), (i
v), (v), (vi)

  ‘Tempest’ (code word) (i)

  Tessenei (i), (ii), (iii)

  Tessitore, General Vincenzo (i), (ii)

  Thesiger, Wilfred (i)

  Times, The (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  Tobruk (i)

  Toselli, Major (i)

  Toselli Pass (i), (ii)

  Transjordan (i), (ii)

  Transvaal Scottish (i)

  Triangle (i)

  Tripoli (Syria) (i)

  Tug Argan gap (i)

  Aosta and (i)

  Chater surmises (i)

  Churchill questions (i)

  difficulties in holding (i)

  main defensive effort at (i)

  Turkana, Lake see Rudolf, Lake

  Turks (i), (ii)

  Uaso Nyiro, River (i)

  Ucciali, Treaty of (i)

  Uganda

  conscription introduced (i)

  Germans plan Kenya invasion as far as (i)

  Italian East Africa and (i), (ii)

  mobilisation (i)

  population statistics (i)

  protectorate established (i)

  Railway Workshops (i)

  Umbria, SS (i), (ii) n5

  Um Idla (i)

  United States (i), (ii), (iii) see also Americans

  van Ryneveld, General Pierre (i)

  Via Imperiale (i)

  Vichy France (i), (ii), (iii) see also France

  Victoria, Lake (i), (ii), (iii)

  Victoria Cross (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Victoria Nyanza Sailing Club (i)

  Volpini, General (i)

  Wadi Halfa (i)

  Wajir (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)

  Wal Wal (i)

  Walker, Colonel H.A. (i)

  Wandagaz (i)

  War Cabinet (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)

  War Office, London

  authorises troop sailings (i)

  becomes convinced of Mussolini’s intentions (i)

  Brocklehurst Mission (i)

  censorship (i)

  Churchill and Wavell (i)

  defends itself against Wavell (i)

  fails to consult Wavell (i)

  Mission 101 and Gideon Force (i)

  prevalent views within (i)

  use of Somalis (i)

  Wavell advises on force required in occupied territories (i)

  water (for drinking) (i), (ii), (iii)

  Wavell, Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald (i), (ii)

  4th Indian Division moved from Western Desert (i)

  advises on force required for occupied territories (i)

  approves attack on Kismayu (i)

  arrangements with French (i), (ii)

  Asmara via Keren (i)

  Brocklehurst Mission and (i)

  Chater complains (i)

  chooses Keren title when ennobled (i)

  Churchill and (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)

  complains of lack of directives (i)

  Dickinson and (i)

  East Africa and the Western Desert (i)

  forces and equipment available to (i)

  given administrative control (i)

  modest approach of (i)

  objectives for Platt (i)

  plan of intimidation (i)

  pre-war lectures (i), (ii)

  reads Italian communications (i)

  recognised by most as deserving major credit (i)

  Red Sea concerns (i)

  removed from post (i)

  requirements of a good general (i)

  Sandford and (i)

  Smuts and (i)

  South African troops and (i)

  strategy of necessity (i)

  strengths of (i)

  troops from North Africa (i)

  use of irregulars (i)

  visits Keren (i)

  War Cabinet pressure (i)

  War Office and (i)

  Wingate backed (i), (ii)

  West African Field Force (i)

  West Yorkshire Regiment (i), (ii), (iii)

  Western, Lieutenant-Colonel ‘Tank’ (i)

  Western Desert

  4th Indian Division moved (i)

  11th Indian Infantry Brigade (i)

  Italians face defeat (i)

  Operation ‘Camilla’ (i)

  reversal of fortune (i)

  Rommel arrives (i)

  siege of Tobruk (i)

  Smuts’s role and (i), (ii)

  Wavell’s intended operations in (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Wetherall, Major-General Henry (i), (ii)

  wildlife (i)

  Wilson, Acting Captain Eric (i), (ii)

  Wilson, General Maitland ‘Jumbo’ (i)

  Wilson Airways (i), (ii)

  Wingate, Major Orde (i)

  character of (i)

  Churchill on (i)

  Cunningham and (i)

  death (i)

  first major victory (i)

  Haile Selassie and (i), (ii)

  high opinion of his own contribution (i)

  on a white horse (i) n29

  Platt and (i)

  presents strategy to Wavell (i)

  Simon Anglim’s work on (i) n3

  smallest British force (i)

  Wolchefit (i), (ii), (iii)

  Worcestershire Regiment (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  Wuchale, Treaty of (i)

  Yemen (i)

  Yonte (i)

  Young, George (i)

  Yugoslavia (i)

  Zambezi River (i)

  Zanzibar (i)

  Zeilah (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Zulus (i)