Italy Ethiopia. Paradoxes of the Ogaden War

The Ethiopia-Eritrea War The Ethiopian-Eritrean War of 1998–2000 was the last classic war of the 20th century. It was a full-scale clash between two states that were relatively equal, if not in territorial and economic terms, then at least in military terms.

The Ethiopia-Eritrea War The Ethiopian-Eritrean War of 1998–2000 was the last classic war of the 20th century. It was a full-scale clash between two states that were relatively equal, if not in territorial and economic terms, then at least in military terms.

12. DECREE OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR ON THE WORKING TIME REGIME OF WORKERS AND EMPLOYEES IN WARTIME June 26, 1941 In order to ensure compliance production tasks related to wartime needs, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR

Ethiopia's decisive offensive Before the start of the 2000 campaign, the Ethiopian army numbered 350 thousand fighters, half of whom (14 divisions) were at the front. By this time, the Eritrean army had 200-250 thousand, of which 130 thousand (15 divisions) were at the front (98). Massive

MYTH SIX. “The victory of the USSR over Germany is a “military happiness”, a “pure accident”, the Soviet Union won it thanks to exorbitant sacrifices. Stalin's role in this Victory is insignificant. The people won, and Stalin had nothing to do with it. At the 20th Party Congress, Khrushchev stated that

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No. 9 NOTE OF THE USSR People's Commissar of State Security V.N. MERKULOV TO THE Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Council of People's Commissars and the NKVD of the USSR WITH THE TELEGRAM OF THE ENGLISH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS A. EDEN TO THE AMBASSADOR OF ENGLAND TO THE USSR S. CRIPPS ABOUT GERMANY'S INTENTIONS TO ATTACK THE USSR No. 1312/M April 26, 1941 Top Secret Directed

For many, it is no secret that the USSR had an active military presence in Ethiopia in the late 70s of the 20th century. However, the opinion about the expediency and “benefit” of military assistance to Addis Ababa for the USSR is a misconception. However, first things first.

“...1979. We, according to the legend of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are another group of “Soviet volleyball players”, but in reality we are young aviation officers of the Pacific Fleet Air Force, dressed in identical size 50 pants and ties dangling on thin necks, and found ourselves in hot Africa. In Asmara (Ethiopia),” this is how Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Yurasov recalls his trip to the African continent. They probably loved to play volleyball in Ethiopia, and specifically with the Soviet Union, since more than 11 thousand “Soviet volleyball players” visited here in the 70–90s. In fact, the “athletes” arriving in Africa were real military specialists and advisers. Of course, the fact of their presence to maintain the authority of the USSR as a “peace-loving state” was carefully hidden by the Soviet government both within the country and abroad.

Why were the Soviet military needed in the Horn of Africa? The thing is that in 1977, a difficult situation developed in friendly Ethiopia. After the revolution, for the third year now, the country was tormented by separatists, there was a constant war for power within the government of the young country, and then in the summer neighboring Somalia decided to recapture part of the disputed territory - the Ogaden Desert. Somali troops began operating on June 23, 1977. According to Ethiopian data, before the start of the offensive, 12 mechanized brigades, 250 tanks, 350 armored vehicles, 600 artillery pieces, and about 40 combat aircraft were brought to the borders. In total, the invasion force numbered approximately 70 thousand people. The leadership of Somalia denied the participation of its regular troops, by the way, trained by Soviet specialists and equipped with Soviet military equipment, in the seizure of territories in Eastern Ethiopia and attributed these actions to an underground anti-government organization operating in Ethiopia - the Western Somali Liberation Front. By October 1977, without encountering serious resistance, Somali troops had captured significant territory from their eastern neighbor.

The USSR could not ignore what was happening on the African continent, although it found itself in a very delicate situation. In September 1977, the Somali leader came to Moscow and asked the Union not to interfere in the war, but, on the contrary, to increase the supply of military equipment and ammunition. But the Soviet government did not agree to this, and, apparently, the “offended” Somali leader went to ask for help from the United States and its supporters - the leaders of Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Soviet and Cuban military specialists are beginning to leave Somalia, and Cuba has completely broken off diplomatic relations with Somalia. From that moment on, the USSR reoriented its policy towards Ethiopia, viewing it as a victim of aggression. Military supplies and specialists were sent there by air and sea.

But only to protect the “victim of aggression” did the USSR begin to provide assistance? Lieutenant General Veniamin Arkadyevich Demin answers this question: “First of all, I will say that Ethiopia favorably distinguishes itself from other countries of the African continent by its geographical location. It is located on the so-called Horn of Africa and until recently had access to the Red Sea, where important sea communications run from the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea, to the Atlantic and back. It is no coincidence that our Navy at one time had three logistics support points in this area, including on the island of Dahlak, for the forces of the 8th operational squadron. In addition, after the September revolution of 1974... and the coming to power of Mengistu Haile Mariam, Ethiopia took the path of socialist development, which brought it even closer to the USSR. Lastly, Ethiopia is rich in natural resources. There are great opportunities here for the development of cattle breeding and other branches of agriculture.” Thus, in addition to helping the “victim of aggression,” the USSR also pursued its own selfish goals.

Nevertheless, significant assistance was provided. In November 1977 - January 1978, an air bridge was established between the USSR and Ethiopia, which was serviced by 225 transport aircraft. They transferred to the country a huge number of T-54 and T-55 tanks, artillery systems, air defense systems, MiG-21 and MiG-23 aircraft, automotive equipment and small arms (totaling $1 billion). In addition to the USSR, help also came from its satellites: the GDR, Czechoslovakia, South Yemen, North Korea, Cuba. In the fall of 1977, Soviet military specialists arrived in Addis Ababa, who were entrusted with the formation and training of the army, the development and management of combat operations, and the provision of supplies of ammunition and military equipment.

In January 1978, after some respite, Somali troops launched a new offensive attempt. It was aimed at an important administrative center - the city of Hareru. At the same time, the Ethiopian army launched a counter-offensive and stopped the attackers. Fighting between Ethiopian and Somali troops continued until March 1978, until all of the previously occupied Ogaden was liberated. Military advisers from the USSR who directly took part in the hostilities played a decisive role in the victory.

The end of the conflict with Somalia did not bring peace to Ethiopia. Somali troops switched to guerrilla warfare, and in the north of the country, in Eritrea, separatists continued to act against the central government. The situation of the Soviet military is described by Lieutenant Colonel Yurasov, already known to us: “Night shelling of the airfield by the separatists was frequent, but on the streets during the day we were surrounded by smiling people who were building socialism and proudly wearing the new coat of arms of Ethiopia and portraits of their leader Mengistu Haile Mariam.” Military actions against the separatists did not lead to significant success. As a result of several operations planned by the Soviet military, the separatists were driven out of interior Eritrea and went into the mountains and into neighboring Sudan, where, with the support of a million refugees, they managed to create a network of paramilitary training camps. Further confrontation between the central government and the separatists turned into a protracted, bloody guerrilla war.

Soviet soldiers also suffered losses in this war. “By May 1984, we were so fed up with American intelligence that, with the help of the Green Berets from Saudi Arabia, they committed sabotage: they shot and burned our planes, repainted as Aeroflot, from almost 20 meters away. The Mi-8 helicopters turned to ashes in 20 minutes,” recalls Lieutenant Colonel Yurasov. In total, 79 Soviet soldiers died in Ethiopia, 9 were wounded, 5 were missing and 3 were captured. Many suffered from “exotic” African diseases.

Thus, the USSR was drawn into a military conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia, and then into an internal confrontation between the separatists and the central government. The official version circulated in the USSR stated that Ethiopia's assistance was expressed only in military supplies. In fact, more than 11 thousand Soviet military personnel were involved in military conflicts. Ultimately, apart from foreign policy problems, huge material costs for military supplies to Ethiopia and illusory geostrategic benefits, the Soviet Union received nothing from supporting Addis Ababa.

In the second half of the twentieth century, a massive liberation of former European colonies from the power of their enslavers began in Africa. It was a painful process that led to many wars, bloody coups, revolutions and similar upheavals. The situation in Africa was aggravated by global confrontation between the capitalist and socialist worlds, affecting all continents of the Earth. Africa became one of the regions where this “cold” confrontation often turned into a “hot” stage. One example of such conflicts is the Ethiopian-Somali War, or the Ogaden War

Somalia: from democracy to dictatorship

In 1960, two former African colonies gained independence - British Somalia (Somaliland) and Italian Somalia. They were united into a single democratic state of Somalia, governed by an elected president. However, the democratic regime in the country did not last long.

English and Italian components of the state of Somalia
Source – npr.org

Somalis inhabit large areas outside Somalia itself, that is, in neighboring states. In Somalia they considered this unfair, and even when determining the territory of their future state, they asked the former colonialists to annex these lands to it. The Europeans ignored these requests, and therefore, in the patriotic military circles of the country, the idea of ​​creating a Greater Somalia could not help but arise, from which the task of “gathering lands” logically flowed.

Distribution area of ​​the Somali people
Source – mapcruzin.com

In 1964, fighting began on the border of Somalia and Ethiopia - in the province of Ethiopia called Ogaden, which is populated mainly by Somalis. The Somalis tried to take by force territories that they could not obtain peacefully. The Ethiopian army was small and poorly armed, but the Somali armed forces oh the situation was even worse. Somali troops were driven back and the status quo was restored on the border.

Ethiopian soldiers on the border with Somalia, February 16, 1964
Source – martinplaut.wordpress.com

Earlier, in 1963, the Somali government supported the uprising of the “shifta” (translated from Amharic as “bandit”) - the Somalis who inhabited the northeastern province of Kenya. It supplied the rebels with weapons and sent volunteers to them. In response, the Kenyans threatened to declare war if the Somalis did not change their policies. Since the Somali army was poorly armed, small in number (only 5,000 soldiers) and could not resist the Kenyans, the country's President Aden Abdullah Osman Daar reduced the supply of weapons to the separatists, and in 1967 the uprising was suppressed. That same year, Aden Abdullah Osman Daar was not re-elected new term, and in 1969, after a military coup, officers of the Somali National Army led by General Mohamed Siad Barre seized power in the country. The general was an ardent supporter of the policy of “gathering lands”, looked for sources of weapons for his army and, for this purpose, announced a course towards the establishment of socialism in the country. The Soviet Union, which actively supported liberation movements in the former colonies, had established diplomatic relations with Somalia since 1960 and readily responded to the desire of the new Somali leader to direct his country towards the path of building socialism.

General Mohammed Siad Barre (right). Mogadishu, 1969
Source – mogadishuimages.wordpress.com

“Black” socialism – calculating and merciless

To protect the new system, the Soviet Union sent 1.5 thousand of its experts to Somalia, most which were military. In addition, about 3 thousand Somali cadets went to the USSR to undergo training at Soviet military schools. The Somali army began to receive the latest jet fighters: MiG-17 and MiG-15 in the amount of 44 units, MiG-21 in the amount of 12 units. In addition, 10 Il-28 bombers were delivered to the Somalis. Number ground forces The national army of Somalia began to grow rapidly, and in 1977 reached 35 thousand people. By that time, the Somali army was armed with about 200 T-34-85 tanks, 50 T-54/55 tanks, 60 BTR-40, 250 BTR-152, more than 100 76-mm guns, up to 80 anti-tank guns D-48, 80 howitzers of 122 mm caliber, about 60 guns of 130 mm caliber, more than a hundred 120 mm mortars and approximately 150 anti-aircraft guns caliber up to 100 mm. All these weapons were Soviet-made and arrived in the country from the USSR.

MiG-21F of the Somali Air Force
Source – airmuseum.ru

In return, the Soviet Union received a naval base at Berbera with the only protected harbor on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden. In 1969 Soviet builders a deep-sea port was built here.

Big anti-submarine ship Project 57-A “Gnevny” leaves the port of Berbera (Somalia), 1975
Source – navsourcecenter.ru (photo author – V. N. Muratov)

Meanwhile, the situation in the region changed every year. In Ethiopia, the odious Emperor Haile Selassie was dethroned in 1974, and a group of Marxist officers, the Derg, came to power. Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, who single-handedly seized power as a result of bloody internal squabbles that erupted among members of the Derg, initially did not want to break off relations with the United States, which supplied weapons to Ethiopia before the coup. However, the Americans themselves first limited, and by April 1977, completely stopped supplies.

Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam
Source – feedaformerdictator.com

Having lost the favor of the Americans, Mengistu Haile Mariam gained the favor of the USSR and, oddly enough, revolutionary Cuba. In February 1977, from Angola, where the Cuban expeditionary forces were located, their commander, General Arnaldo Ochoa, arrived in Ethiopia, along with several other high-ranking Cuban officers. In March, Fidel Castro himself personally visited Ethiopia, and on April 23, the Ethiopian authorities closed all consular missions of the United States and other countries located in the country. Western Europe. In addition, the American military base and members of the American military mission were expelled. The military attaches of the USA, Great Britain, Germany and Egypt were asked to leave Ethiopia. From May 4 to 8, Mengistu stayed in the USSR, where he established relations with the Soviet leadership. The Soviet Union readily responded to the call for help from a potential new African ally, since Ethiopia's population was nine times larger than Somalia's. In addition, at that time the country still had access to the Red Sea and two ports on its coast. As a result of the negotiations, an agreement was concluded for the supply of weapons to Ethiopia in the amount of $400 million.

Fidel Castro and Mengistu Haile Mariam at the parade held in honor of the Cuban leader
Source – mycity-military.com

The Ethiopian army was larger than the Somali army - 48 thousand soldiers versus 35 thousand, but during ten years of Soviet support, the Somalis were far ahead of their neighbor in the military equipment of the armed forces (hereinafter referred to as the Armed Forces). The Ethiopian Air Force was half that of Somalia - only 35 serviceable combat aircraft, including: 16 Northrop F-5 multi-role jet fighters of the Freedom Fighter and Tiger-II modifications; 3 North American F-86 Saber jet fighters; several F-4 Phantoms; combined squadron of combat training piston North American T-28 "Troyan" and jet Lockheed T-33 "Shooting Star". All of the above aircraft were American-made. In addition, the Ethiopian Air Force was armed with three British B.Mk.52 Canberra bombers. Transport aviation was represented by several American-made transport aircraft: the Douglas C-47 Skytrain (or Dakota), the Douglas C-54 Skymaster and the Fairchild C-119K Flying Boxer. All of the above equipment was from the 50s.

Bomber B.Mk.52 "Canberra" of the Ethiopian Air Force
Source – acig.info

WITH tank troops things weren't any better. The main tanks supplied by the United States to Ethiopia before the coup were the obsolete American light M41 Walker Bulldog and medium M47 Patton II, also produced back in the 50s. Both for airplanes and armored vehicles after the cessation of supplies from the United States, there was a catastrophic shortage of spare parts. Soviet specialists who flew to Ethiopia partially solved the problem by requesting the necessary parts from their Vietnamese colleagues, who after the end of the war received significant trophies of American equipment.

Tank M41 "Walker Bulldog" of the Ethiopian armed forces
Source – militaryphotos.net

Already in May-June 1977, the Soviet Union began supplying Ethiopia military equipment: in May, up to 40 T-34-85 tanks and the same number of armored vehicles and guns were transferred there, and in June - another 80 T-54 tanks. At the same time, the contingent of Soviet military specialists also grew, helping their Ethiopian colleagues restore the army after the purges carried out by Mengistu.

T-55 tanks of the Ethiopian armed forces, received from the USSR, 1977
Source – marine-infantry.rf

But here the USSR found itself in a difficult situation. The fact is that the dictator of Somalia, Mohammed Siad Barre, cherished the hope, having strengthened his army, to take the Ogaden from Ethiopia and actively supported the partisan organization that arose there, the Western Somali Liberation Front (hereinafter - WSLF). After his visit to Ethiopia, Fidel Castro visited Somalia, trying to dissuade the warlike head of this country from his territorial claims, but did not find understanding from his African counterpart.

Fidel Castro and Mohammed Siad Barre, Mogadishu, 1977
Source – jaallesiyaad.com

Somalis are on the warpath

In mid-May 1977, about 6 thousand armed small arms WSLF fighters trained in Somalia crossed the Ethiopian border. About half of them were Somali National Army soldiers in disguise. At the same time, an unsuccessful attack was carried out on the garrison in one of the cities of the Ogaden - God. The WSLF lost approximately 300 men in this battle. In June, WSLF militants attacked a civilian Ethiopian train, and soon blew up 5 railway bridges, after which traffic was blocked. railway, connecting Djibouti with the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, stopped. The Somali officer corps did not like the guerrilla-terrorist approach to warfare (the memory of the failure in Kenya was too fresh), so it was decided to introduce the Somali army into the Ogaden. On July 13, the first regular army units invaded Ethiopia.

WSLF militants
Source – soviethammer.net

And here Somalia found an ally where Ethiopia lost it. On July 15, 1977, in his planned speech, US President Jimmy Carter said that the United States was ready to provide military and political support to Somalia. In addition to the Americans, such countries as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Pakistan.

On July 21, the Somali Air Force began bombing targets in Ethiopia. First of all, airfields and military bases, as well as other Ethiopian military installations, were attacked. She was also injured civil Aviation Ethiopia - a DC-3 civilian aircraft was shot down near the city of Harar. In response, the Ethiopian Air Force also began raids on Somali convoys. Old Sabers and Freedom Fighters in African conditions They turned out to be quite good attack aircraft. Thus, the bomb load of the latter exceeded 3 tons, and they were loaded with dozens of 200 kg bombs. In addition, 20-mm aircraft cannons were used in the fight against ground targets.

Il-28 - the first Soviet jet frontline bomber, the main workhorse
Somali Air Force in the first months of the Ogaden War
Source – ovvakul.ru

On July 22, the first air battle took place, as a result of which two F-5s of the Ethiopian Air Force shot down two Somali MiG-21s. Two more Somali MiGs collided in the air, trying to dodge an AIM-9D Sidewinder missile fired at them.

On July 23, 1977, at 6 a.m., the main forces of the regular army of Somalia invaded Ethiopia: 42 thousand people, 250 tanks, hundreds of guns and armored personnel carriers, as well as 30 aircraft. The active phase of the war for the Ogaden began.

One of eight F-5Es the Ethiopian Air Force received in 1975. The remaining nine F-5Es and three F-5Fs hit
were not embargoed and were not placed
Source – bemil.chosun.com

The Soviet Union, in the hope that it would be able to calm down its “violent” ally, asked the Ethiopian government not to declare official war, and until July 24, the Ethiopians did not break off diplomatic relations with Somalia. At this time, Soviet diplomats tried to convince the Somali government to stop fighting and withdraw troops from the Ogaden, but all their persuasion was in vain. Eventually, Ethiopia announced mobilization, intending to draft up to 100 thousand people into the army.

First socialist war in Africa

Initially, events developed favorably for the Somalis. Ethiopia was at war with its coastal province of Eritrea, which had been fighting a war of independence since 1961. Therefore, the bulk of the Ethiopian armed forces were located there, in the north of the country.

Somali Army Infantry
Source – somaliswisstv.com

At the same time, in the east, in the provinces of Ogaden and Harari, minor forces were concentrated - part of the units of the 3rd Division of the Ethiopian Revolutionary Forces in the amount of 10,200 people, 45 M41/M47 tanks, 48 ​​artillery and 10 anti-aircraft guns. A significant part of these meager forces was distributed among the garrisons of various settlements Ogaden.

Somali troops launched an offensive in two groups - northern and southern. The North dealt the main blow to the most populated mountainous areas in the area of ​​​​the cities of Jijiga and Harar in the direction of Dire Dawa. The South launched an auxiliary attack on semi-desert areas in the direction of Dolo, Gode and Imi. The Somalis tried not to attack the well-fortified positions of the Ethiopian troops head-on, but went around them, cut communications, blocked strong points and fired at them from guns.

On September 30, 2015, Russia launched a military campaign in Syria. After the end of World War II, the USSR and then Russia participated in dozens of military operations in which they suffered losses. From China and Cuba to Angola and Czechoslovakia - where and what the Russian armed forces achieved - in a special project by Kommersant

Territorial disputes between Somalia and Ethiopia escalated into a large-scale war in July 1977. Somali troops invaded Ethiopian territory. The strength of the Somali army was 70 thousand people: 12 mechanized brigades, equipped with Soviet equipment - 250 tanks, 350 armored vehicles, 40 combat aircraft.

The USSR has been providing assistance to Somalia since 1964, supplying weapons and training local military personnel. In Somalia there was a Soviet naval base at Berbera, a communications center, tracking stations, and a tactical missile storage facility. The USSR had the right to use Somali airfields and other military facilities. The country was considered a traditional ally of the USSR in Africa.
However, after the Somali aggression, the USSR found itself in a difficult position, since since April 1976 it had maintained close contacts with the leadership of Ethiopia, where pro-Marxist leaders came to power after overthrowing Emperor Haile Selassie I. In April 1977, after complications in Ethiopia's relations with Somalia, the USSR began supplying weapons to Ethiopia, including 48 aircraft and more than 300 T-54 and T-55 tanks. Soviet military advisers gradually arrived in the country.

When attempts to reconcile Somalia and Ethiopia failed, after some hesitation, the USSR relied on the Ethiopian government of Mengistu Haile Mariam. As a result, on November 13, 1977, the government of Somalia denounced the agreement with the USSR and obliged the colony of two thousand Soviet military experts to leave the country within three days.

To evacuate them, a large landing ship(BDK) with a battalion Marine Corps. After the Somali authorities refused to let the BDK into the harbor, an assault force with tanks was landed from it and successfully captured the port. After this, Soviet military advisers were taken to Yemen and Ethiopia. Before the break in relations with the USSR, the offensive of the Somali army was developing successfully: the advanced units occupied a number of strategic positions and were ready to cut off the most important communications. However, from November 1977 to January 1978, the USSR transferred a large number of weapons worth up to $1 billion to Ethiopia by air and sea. Supplies of weapons also began from Czechoslovakia, the GDR, the DPRK, South Yemen, Cuba, and Libya.

In November 1977, a task force of the General Staff of the USSR Ministry of Defense arrived in Addis Ababa and took control of the Ethiopian troops. Total number Soviet military experts reached 3 thousand people. At the same time, Cuban units arrived in Ethiopia, numbering up to 20 thousand people.

As a result, the Somali offensive was stopped, and in January 1978, Cuban and Ethiopian troops under the control of the Soviet military launched a decisive counter-offensive, which ended in the defeat of the main strike group of the Somali army. In the spring of that year, a disorderly retreat of Somali troops began, and by March 16, the entire territory of Ethiopia occupied by the Somali army was liberated.

However, after the cessation of the large-scale war with Somalia, fierce fighting began in another part of Ethiopia - the northern province of Eritrea, where widespread partisan movement local separatists, who for many years enjoyed the support of the USSR in their fight against Emperor Haile Selassie I. In June 1978, parts of the Ethiopian and Cuban armies were transferred to the area. The Soviet military took an active part in this operation. At the same time, border clashes on the Somali border continued unabated until the signing of a peace treaty in May 1988.

In 1989, Soviet advisers were removed from the Ethiopian units, and the military mission finally ended its work in 1991. In total, 11,143 Soviet military personnel visited Ethiopia from 1975 to 1991. Of these, 79 were killed (including two generals), nine were wounded, and five were missing. The volume of USSR supplies to Ethiopia reached $10 billion.

In 1991, the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam was overthrown by the opposition, and in April 1993, Eritrea gained independence. In 1998, a new territorial conflict broke out between the two countries. The basis of the forces of both armies was mainly Soviet equipment: T-62 and T-72 tanks, BTR-70 and BTR-80, BMP-1 and BMP-2, rocket systems volley fire"Grad" and "Hurricane", anti-aircraft missile systems S-75 and S-125, Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters. According to unconfirmed reports, up to 500 Russian mercenaries fought on the side of Ethiopia, and 300 Ukrainians on the side of Eritrea. In 2000, the countries entered into a peace agreement.

Territory: Ethiopia
Period: December 1977-November 1990
Duration: 13 years
Participants: Ethiopia, USSR, Cuba/Somalia, Eritrea
USSR/Russian forces involved: 11,143 Soviet troops
Losses: 79 people
Supreme Commander-in-Chief: Leonid Brezhnev
Conclusion: in the war between its three allies, the USSR took the side of A. S. Pushkin’s fellow tribesmen

In 1977-1978, a bloody war broke out between Ethiopia and Somalia; The USSR was initially an ally of both countries

The history of post-colonial Africa is a history of both civil and international conflicts. However, even among them Ethiopian-Somali War 1977-1978 years or, as it is also called, war for the Ogaden, stands apart.

23-mm Shilka self-propelled gun in a firing position. Nokra Island, Ethiopia
Source – otvaga2004.ru This photo was taken

From a colony to the idea of ​​“Greater Somalia”

Back in 1960, when the state Somalia was only formed by merging the former colonies that gained independence - British Somalia And Italian Somali- its leaders set themselves the task of uniting all territories inhabited by ethnic Somalis into one entity.

The flag of Somalia, both now and 50 years ago, features a five-pointed star. It was in it that the idea of ​​the Somali tribes about uniting and creating a strong national state in the “Horn of Africa” - “Great Somalia” - was reflected.
Two rays are two former colonies that made up the core new country.
The other three are Djibouti(sphere of influence France), province Ogaden (Ethiopian Somalia) and Northeast Kenya.
All these territories had in common the fact that they were inhabited predominantly by Somali Muslims and the leaders of the newly formed state set as their goal to bring closer the day when all the rays of the white Somali star would unite not only on the national flag.

In 1960, almost in the first days of independence, Somalia designated Kenya their claims to the North-Eastern Province. The parties addressed Great Britain with a request to act as an arbitrator in the dispute. England did not support Somali claims, which resulted in a breakdown in relations between the former colony and the metropolis.

Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Nikolai Podgorny and Siad Barre in Kisimayo during Podgorny's visit to Somalia, September 3, 1974. Photo: Yuri Abramochkin / RIA Novosti

Realizing the need for support from one of the world powers to implement their expansionist plans, the Somalis, after the break with Great Britain, decided.
In 1961, Prime Minister Abdirashid Ali Shermarke visited the Soviet Union on a friendly visit. During this visit, an agreement on friendship and cooperation was signed between the two states, which provided, among other things, military assistance for Somalia from the USSR.

U Soviet Union this agreement had its own interest - neighboring Somalia Ethiopia maintained close ties with USA, and in this situation, by relying on the Somalis, the USSR equalized the balance of power in the Horn of Africa.
Thanks to the support of the Soviet Union, Somalia was able to acquire an army quite strong by African standards, trained and armed according to the Soviet model. In addition, the Soviet side actively participated in the formation and development of industry in the young country.
The coup d'etat of 1969, as a result of which General Mohammed Siad Barre came to power, not only did not interfere with the ties between the two countries, but, on the contrary, only strengthened them.
As soon as he took the presidency, Siad Barre immediately announced a course in the country towards building socialism with an Islamic slant.
This decision was met with approval in Moscow, and in subsequent years the Soviet military and economic presence in Somalia only increased.
Thus, by the mid-1970s, the number of Soviet military advisers of all ranks and civilian personnel in the country amounted to three thousand. In return, the USSR received at its disposal the strategically important port of Berbera.

New friends and old enemies

The situation began to change rapidly after the Ethiopia Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown.
The 700-year-old monarchy was replaced by a group of socialist-oriented military men.
Mogadishu considered political destabilization in the neighboring country a good reason to begin putting its territorial ambitions into practice.
In particular, Siad Barre began to secretly support terrorist organization"Western Somali Liberation Front".
As a result, Ethiopia found itself in a difficult situation: on the one hand, certain concerns were caused Eritrean separatists, and on the other - in Ogaden And adjacent territories local Somalis, with the support of Mogadishu, launched a guerrilla war against the authorities.
Under these conditions, the country needed support and support in the person of a powerful ally.
As a result, the struggle for power among the military elite was won by Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, who decided set a course for rapprochement with the USSR.
This is how Ethiopia turned from a US ally into a socialist-oriented country.

Mengistu Haile Mariam in Tbilisi, November 1, 1978. Photo: Runov / RIA Novosti

In Moscow, this situation was perceived ambiguously. On the one hand, Brezhnev warmly welcomed Colonel Mengistu as a new comrade and ally, on the other hand, a stalemate developed for the Soviet leadership - two pro-Soviet countries were located next to each other in the Horn of Africa, which were extremely unfriendly towards each other .

The Kremlin’s fears were not in vain: Siad Barre did not want to take into account changes in the political situation in the region, putting Somalia's national interests are undoubtedly higher than the global strategy of the Soviet Union.
In particular, on February 23, 1977, during a conversation with Soviet diplomat Georgy Samsonov, he stated that Mengistu, who declares his orientation towards socialism, should follow the principle of the right of nations to self-determination proclaimed by Lenin and allow the population of the Ogaden to decide for themselves which state they belong to. would like to see your area.
Nevertheless, Moscow until recently believed that the conflict could be avoided, periodically advising Mogadishu to refrain from escalating the situation.
It should be noted that no strategic value Ogaden itself did not represent- it was a deserted, sparsely populated area.
However, within national idea about the construction of “Greater Somalia”, this area was of great importance for Mogadishu. War was inevitable.

Hot summer 1977

Since the beginning of 1977, the Somalis have undertaken a series of provocations on the border with Ethiopia.
Soldiers of the regular Somali army, dressed in civilian clothes, together with militants from the Western Somali Liberation Front, attack targets on Ethiopian territory, but are defeated and retreat.
After an unsuccessful attack on the Gode garrison in May, during which the Somalis lost more than 300 fighters, Siad Barre decides to move from sabotage and provocations to a full-scale invasion without notifying Moscow.

On July 23, 1977, regular Somali troops invaded the Ethiopian Ogaden province. The Somali group numbered 42 thousand people and included 12 mechanized and infantry brigades, 250 tanks, 600 artillery pieces, and about 40 aircraft.
The Somalis were advancing in the North and Southern directions- the main attack was carried out by the northern group, while the offensive in the south had auxiliary functions.
The Ethiopian army was inferior to the Somalis both in technical equipment and in numbers. In addition, the Ethiopian units were scattered throughout the province and did not represent a single force, and the troops of Siad Barre, skillfully maneuvering and using the principle of concentrating troops in strategically important directions, crushed the Ethiopians piece by piece, suffering almost no losses.

In Addis Ababa they hoped to the last that the USSR would be able to reason with Siad Barre and force his troops to retreat back to Somalia.
In August, a few days apart, he and Mengistu visited Moscow - it was then that it was decided which side the USSR would take.
The Kremlin decided that Siad Barre, who started the war without the consent of the Soviet leadership, could no longer be considered a reliable ally. Preference was given to Mengistu and Ethiopia.
In September, the Ethiopians broke off diplomatic relations with Somalia.
On November 13, the Somalis denounced the treaty of friendship and mutual assistance with the USSR and demanded that Soviet military and civilian specialists leave the country as soon as possible.

The Soviet Union found itself in a difficult situation - having decided to support Ethiopia, the leadership of the USSR had to declare war on the Somali army they had nurtured and armed.
The Ethiopian troops were poorly trained and armed with outdated weapons and equipment.
The Soviet side was faced with the difficult task of creating a combat-ready new Ethiopian army that could successfully repel Somali aggression in the shortest possible time and in war conditions.
An “air bridge” was hastily organized to Ethiopia to transport equipment, personnel and instructors. So, for example, their direct participant V.V. Boev recalled those events: “In September 1977, with a group of military specialists of 120 people under the guise of a specialist in agriculture was sent to Ethiopia. Acted as a driver, operator, electromechanic, and head of communications at the Diredyau airfield. The population treated us well."

At the same time, the Somali blitzkrieg was unfolding at the front - by the end of the year, Siad Barre's troops controlled up to 90% of the Ogaden territory.
The Ethiopian units were defeated and retreated in disarray.. For the countries of the socialist camp, a critical moment has arrived.
Moscow and Havana decided to resort to what was already used in Angola accepted and sent to Ethiopia Cuban armed forces, which would strengthen Mengisti's army.
In December 1977, the transfer of Cuban military personnel from Angola And Congo(Brazzaville). A total of six brigades were deployed total number 18 thousand people under the command of General Arnaldo Ochoa.
At the same time, the fact of the presence of Cuban soldiers in the Ogaden was officially denied by both Havana and Addis Ababa.
Cubans arriving in Ethiopia were immediately transferred to the front line, which made it possible to partially stabilize the situation at the front by the end of the year.
In addition to the Cubans, about two thousand militants from South Yemen, also a union of the USSR.

The collapse of hopes for “Greater Somalia”

In parallel with the Cubans holding back the Somali offensive, Soviet military specialists were re-creating the Ethiopian army. This is how one Soviet instructor later described the state of affairs in it: “ The Ethiopian army made a depressing impression. The officers were not accustomed to combat operations, and their role was unclear. For them to climb into a trench... No, what are you... The division commander did not appear at the front for ten days. There was not a single battle map. We went to the front line at night. There are no trenches. The tent is standing, the fire is smoking, some brew is gurgling. And what? When they saw Somali tanks, they simply ran. And when the artillery repelled the attack, they returned. 12 thousand people held a front of one and a half kilometers! Before us, their advisers were Americans. But the level of assistance is already indicated by the fact that the division commander's advisor was Sgt.! »

Ethiopian soldiers armed with Soviet AK-47s during a counteroffensive in the Ogaden, February 16, 1978. Photo: Amin/AP

Nevertheless, active assistance from the USSR soon began to bear fruit.
In January 1978, the Ethiopians and Cubans launch a counteroffensive and push the Somalis back from the city of Harar, the capital of the Ogaden.
Presence in the ranks of the Ethiopian army Cubans and Soviet military specialists in addition to practical benefits, it provided colossal moral impact on Ethiopians.
Retired Major General P. A. Golitsyn recalled: “ Approaching the front with Captain Imam, we see how the Ethiopian battalion abandons its position in the trenches and retreats in panic, two tanks retreat along with the battalion. Captain Imam, holding a machine gun above his head, shouts: “The Soviet general is with us, reinforcements are coming from behind, forward to the Somalis!” The battalion began to stop, the tanks moved forward, and the battalion regained the position it had occupied before the withdrawal. During this battle, the Ethiopians captured five Somalis. I asked the Imam: “What were you shouting?” - he reported the above text through a translator».

Beginning on February 2, 1978, the Ethiopian armed forces launched a full-scale offensive against Somali units. Siad Barre's troops by that time were exhausted and had completely lost strategic initiative. In the first half of February alone, about 70% of Somali tanks and more than 80% of guns were destroyed and captured field artillery and mortars.
The front began to shift in the opposite direction - Ethiopian units systematically liberated cities previously captured by the Somalis.
On March 3, Cuban-Ethiopian troops began fighting for Jijiga- the most important strategic node of the Ogaden and the last line of Somali defense.
By the morning of March 5, the city was taken by the efforts of Ethiopian units and a Cuban tank brigade.. The Somalis no longer have bases or significant fortified positions in the Ogaden. They retreated randomly towards the border, pursued by Ethiopian troops.
By March 9, the Ethiopians reached the borders of Somalia. On March 15, Siad Barre announced the “withdrawal of troops” from the territory of Ethiopia, but in fact there were almost no troops there anymore. By 16 March, the last Somali troops had been expelled from the Ogaden.

Ethiopian soldiers advance against the Somali army in the Ogaden Desert, June 14, 1978. Photo: AFP/EAST-NEWS

Losses on both sides numbered in the tens of thousands. Losses in equipment were especially hard to bear, replenishing them was a long and expensive undertaking.
As for the long-term consequences, they were undoubtedly more serious for Somalia.
Siad Barre's army never recovered from the Ogaden disaster, which led to weakening power and destabilization of the country.
Already in the early 1980s, an anti-government guerrilla movement began in Somalia, which ultimately led to a coup and the removal of Siad Barre from power in 1991, which subsequently plunged the country into the abyss civil war, which continues to this day.
Ethiopia, although it repelled Somali aggression, also lost significantly in military resources, which led to the escalation of the conflict in Eritrea and the department of the latter in 1993.
The border dispute between these states has not yet been resolved; Ethiopia is one of poorest countries Africa.

As for the Soviet Union, despite the disappointing consequences for both sides, it was war for the Ogaden became perhaps the only conflict in Africa during the Cold War where The USSR was able to win a clear victory.