Barefeet and Bandoliers: Wingate, Sandford, the Patriots and the Part They Played in the Liberation of Ethiopia [Hardcover]

David Shirreff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995 | ISBN-10: 1850439222 | ISBN-13: 978-1850439226

This is the story of two "firsts". It is the story of the first successful attempt by Allied forces during World War II, to support and sustain a local resistance movement, with regular forces in enemy-held territory. It also describes how Ethiopia became the first nation conquered by the Axis to be freed. The campaign in Ethiopia might appear small in relation to the war in the whole of East Africa, but it had great military importance. In 1941 the British Commonwealth, the Indian and the Sudanese forces, with the Patriots - local chiefs and their followers who resisted the Italian occupation - advanced into Italian East Africa and defeated the Italian armies. David Shirreff, who also served in the campaign, gives an account of how Colonel Orde Wingate, with his Gideon force, compelled the surrender of a large part of the Italian forces. Shirreff also explores the role of Brigadier Daniel Sandford, now an almost forgotten commander, in organizing his Mission 101, and the sustained rebellion of the Patriots.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1850439222
• ISBN-13: 978-1850439226
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,983,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A complete account of the exploits of Gideon Force, April 27, 2003

By 

Aaron Eitan Meyer (Northport, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barefeet and Bandoliers: Wingate, Sandford, the Patriots and the Part They Played in the Liberation of Ethiopia (Hardcover)

This book is perhaps the best source of information for one interested in the part that Gideon Force, commanded by Orde Wingate, played in restoring the Emperor to his throne in Ethiopia. The only other book that is comparable is 'Im Wingate B'Kush' (With Wingate in Abyssinia) by Avraham Akavia, but to my knowledge the latter has not been translated from the original Hebrew. Shirreff turns a critical and fair eye toward the campaign, albeit with an eye toward correcting what he perceives as slights to the reputation of Daniel Sanford, whose participation in the campaign has not acheived the status of legend that Wingate's actions did. Regardless, while Shirreff seems on occasion to grant credit to Sanford at Wingate's expense, it is simply an attempt to demythologize the aura that surrounds the entire expedition and return of the Negus (emperor) to his throne. Certainly an essential work for one seeking to learn about the Ethiopian campaign of World War II. For a more general account of the North African campaigns, I would recommend W G F Jackson's 'The North African Campaign 1940-43' though it has relatively little on this subject.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine military look at the defeat of the Fascist Italians, April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Barefeet and Bandoliers: Wingate, Sandford, the Patriots and the Part They Played in the Liberation of Ethiopia (Hardcover)

A day by day, group by group look at this remarkable chapter of history and Wingate's role in it.