Battle of Massawa (1977)

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Battle of Massawa
Part of Eritrean War of Independence
Date 1977-1978 Location Massawa, Eritrea Result Ethiopian/Soviet victory
Belligerents
EPLF	Ethiopia USSR
Commanders
Petros Solomon
Strength
3,000	6,000 (Ethiopia) unknown (USSR)
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

Eritrean War of Independence 1st Massawa – Barentu – Afabet – 2nd Massawa

The Battle of Massawa (alt. First Battle of Massawa) took place from 1977 to 1978 in and around the coastal city of Massawa in Eritrea. It was laid to siege by Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) against the forces of Ethiopia. It was one of two battles in and around the city.

[edit] The Battle

By 1977 EPLF soldiers had claimed all of Massawa save the Port.^[1] 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 1977-12-23 the EPLF began a strike through an open field towards the salt flats and port. Soviet Naval warships began to shell EPLF held portions of the town to prevent its occupation by the EPLF, especially the downtown areas.^[1][2] The Ethiopian victory was attributed to the intervention of the Soviet Union on behalf of Ethiopia.^[3] This defeat led to a withdrawal, dubbed the strategic withdrawal, into the Sahel 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.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Cooper, Tom (2003-09-02). Ethiopia and Eritrea, 1950-1991. Retrieved on 2006-12-27.
2. ^ "Another Soviet Push for Power", TIME, 1978-02-06. Retrieved on 2006-12-27. 
3. ^ Payton, Gary. "The Soviet-Ethiopian Liaison". Air University Review XXX (1). 

[edit] See also

• Battle of Massawa (1990)
• Eritrean War of Independence