Battle of Tug Argan
Tug Argan gap, on the road to Berbera, Somaliland
What happened
British, Indian, Rhodesian and Somali colonial troops under Arthur Chater and Reade Godwin-Austen fought an Italian army under Carlo de Simone and Guglielmo Nasi. In August 1940, Italian forces invaded British Somaliland from Italian East Africa. The British held a line of hills across the Tug Argan gap on the road to the port of Berbera. Over four days, Italian attacks took the hills one by one, and the defenders withdrew after dark.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Italy captured British Somaliland, though the territory had little strategic value. The defeat hurt British prestige, and the Fascist regime used the win for propaganda.
What came next
The British evacuated about 7,000 soldiers and civilians from Berbera by sea to Aden. British forces retook British Somaliland in March 1941.
Did you know?
The name Berbera may come from the Somali word 'beri-beri', 'occasionally', because it was once lived in only during the cooler months.
Timeline
- 1884Berbera becomes the capital of British Somaliland.
- 11-15 August 1940The Battle of Tug Argan.
- 19 August 1940The last British forces leave Berbera.
- March 1941British forces retake the protectorate.