Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Gondar

Battle of Gondar was a battle fought on 13 November 1941 at Gondar, in what is now Ethiopia; it lasted 14 days. It was part of the East African Campaign, which ran from 1940 to 1941. The recorded result: Allied victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

Gonder from the Goha hotel
Gonder from the Goha hotel. Giustino, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought13 November 1941lasted 14 days
WhereGondar, Ethiopia12.600N, 37.467E
OutcomeAllied victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Italy; Italian East AfricaagainstBritish Empire; Kenya; Gold Coast; Nigeria; Union of South Africa; Ethiopian Empire
Part ofEast African Campaign1940 to 1941

Where it sits in the East African Campaign

Capture of Kassala, 1940Battle of Tug Argan, 1940Battle of Agordat, 1941Battle of Keren, 1941Siege of Saïo, 1941Battle of Culqualber, 1941Battle of Gondar, 194119401941Battle of Gondar, 1941
7 placed engagements of the East African Campaign in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date13 November 1941
to 27 November 1941
PlaceGondar, Ethiopia
12.600N, 37.467E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Territorial changeOccupation of Italian East Africa
Strength41,000; 70 guns; 1 aircraft2 East African Infantry brigades; Ethiopian Patriots; Kenya Armoured Car Regiment; South African Light Armoured Detachment
Casualties and lossesItalian: 407 killed (November 1941), 1,289 killed since June 1940; Ascari: 3,700 killed June–November 1941; Sick and wounded: 8,400 (Italian and Askari); 22,000 prisoners (Italian and Askari); 1 aircraftFinal assault: 32 killed; 182 wounded; 6 missing; 15 aircraft
Commanders
  • Guglielmo Nasi
  • William Platt
  • Charles Christopher Fowkes
Battle of GondarBattle of GondarBattle of CulqualberBattle of Gur AmbaBattle of FaggetaBattle of Gur AmbaBattle of FaggetaBahir Dar100 km12.600N, 37.467E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1941

Battle of Gondar is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 62 in present-day Ethiopia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1970141, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Gondar, revision 1372512302, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.