Italian guerrilla war in East Africa Hero: Amedeo Guillet

This is the story of Amedeo Guillet, a forgotten Italian hero and a great soldier, an exemple of sense of duty and loyality. Enjoy



In the build up to World War II, Duke of Aosta gave Guillet command of the 2,500 strong Gruppo Bande Amhara, made up of recruits from throughout Italian East Africa, with six European officers and Eritrean NCOs. The core was cavalry, but the force also included camel corps and mainly Yemeni infantry. For Guillet to be given command of such a force while still only a lieutenant was a singular honour.
At the end of 1940, the allied forces faced Guillet on the road to Amba Alagi, and specifically, in the proximity of Cherù. He was charged with the task of delaying the allied advance from the North-West.
Guillet's most important battle happened towards the end of January 1941 at Cherù when he decided to attack enemy armored units. At dawn he charged a column of tanks armed only with swords, guns and hand grenades. He passed unhurt through the British forces who were caught unaware. Guillet then turned to charge again. In the meantime however, the British had organised themselves and fired horizontally with their howitzers. Their shells ripped open the chests of Guillet's horses before exploding. This was the last cavalry charge the British faced and the last but one in the history of Italian cavalry. The final charge took place little more than a year later when a friend of Guillet, Colonel Bettoni, launched the men of the "Savoia Cavalry" against Soviet troops in Russia at Isbuchenskij.
Guillet's Yemeni troops paid a high price in terms of human losses, approximately 800 died in little more than two years and, in March 1941, his forces found themselves stranded outside the Italian lines. Guillet, faithful until death to the oath to the House of Savoy, began a private war against the British. Hiding his uniform near an Italian farm, he set the region on fire at night for almost eight months. He was one of the most famous Italian "guerrilla officers" in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia during the Italia guerrilla war against the Allies occupation of the Italian East Africa.
After numerous adventures, including working as a water seller, Guillet was finally able to reach Yemen, where for about one year he trained soldiers and cavalrymen for the Imam's army, whose son Ahmed became a close friend. Despite the opposition of the Yemenite royal house, he succeeded in embarking incognito on a Red Cross ship repatriating sick and injured Italians and finally returned to Italy a few days before the armistice.
As soon as Guillet reached Italy he asked for Gold sovereigns, men and weapons to aid his disbanded Eritrean forces. The aid would be delivered by aeroplane and enable a guerrilla campaign to be staged. But with Italy's surrender, then later joining the Allies, times had changed. Guilet was promoted to Major for his war accomplishments and was assigned to the Military Intelligence Agency (SIM). In this role, perhaps ironically, he was chosen by the British for some very dangerous missions on Italian territory that was still under Nazi Occupation. He worked closely with an official of the services, a cadet of Colonel Harari, Victor Dan Sagre, who later became his close friend and biographer. Colonel Harari was the commander of the British special unit services that tried to capture Guillet in Italian East Africa.
At the end of the war, and with the abolition of the monarchy, Guillet expressed a deep desire to leave Italy. He informed Umberto II of his intentions, but the King obliged him to keep serving his country in whatever form of government it would become. As always, he couldn't disobey an order from his King, so he expressed his desire to teach antrophology at university.
On 4 November 2000 the day of the Festivity of the Armed Forces (4 november is theVictory Day of WWI for Italy), Guillet was presented with the Knight Grand Cross of the Miltary order of Italy by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. This is the highest military decoration in Italy. Today, Guillet is one of the most highly decorated (both civil and military) people in Italian history.
Now Guillet lives in retirement in County Meath, Irleand, since 1974.

 

Two photos of Guillet in Ethiopia

 

General Guillet celebrated his 100th birthday last February. He got a little sick recently, but has recovered well. As he says about himself: "I'm the luckiest man I know".

May you enjoy this luck for many years to come, General!