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.[2] 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.[2][3] The Ethiopian victory was attributed to the intervention of the Soviet Union on behalf of Ethiopia,[4] and the work of the Ethiopian airforce and naval artillery.[1] 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
^ abcDan Connell (15 July 2019). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 358–. ISBN978-1-5381-2066-8.
^ abCooper, Tom (2003-09-02). . Archived from the original on 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
^. Time. 1978-02-06. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
^Payton, Gary. . Air University Review. XXX (1). Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
battle, massawa, 1977, first, battle, massawapart, eritrean, independencedate1977, 1978locationmassawa, eritrearesultethiopian, victorybelligerentseplf, ethiopia, soviet, unioncommanders, leadersmesfin, hagosmerid, negussiestrength3, menethiopian, forces, sold. First Battle of MassawaPart of the Eritrean War of IndependenceDate1977 1978LocationMassawa EritreaResultEthiopian victoryBelligerentsEPLF Ethiopia Soviet UnionCommanders and leadersMesfin HagosMerid NegussieStrength3 000 menEthiopian forces 6 000 soldiersUnknown amount of AirplanesUnknown amount of ships 1 Soviet forces 1 battleshipCasualties and lossesAt least 2 000 dead400 wounded 1 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 EditBy 1977 EPLF soldiers had claimed all of Massawa save the port itself 2 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 2 3 The Ethiopian victory was attributed to the intervention of the Soviet Union on behalf of Ethiopia 4 and the work of the Ethiopian airforce and naval artillery 1 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 Edit a b c Dan Connell 15 July 2019 Historical Dictionary of Eritrea Rowman amp 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 EditBattle of Massawa 1990 Eritrean War of Independence This Eritrea related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Massawa 1977 amp oldid 1112432558, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
