Post by Diarist on Mar 27, 2016 10:13:59 GMT 1
During the night the 152nd Highland Brigade advanced into the area vacated by the 5th Alpini Division and found many Italian wounded who had been abandoned by their units. Most were suffering from exposure to mustard gas. Gas masks provide little defence against mustard gas because the agent enters through the skin causing burns. The winds allowed more gas-filled artillery shells to be used against the 2nd Eritrean Division to the south of the advancing Highlanders while the aircraft 'sprayed' the 19th Italian (Gavinana) Division in front of the 154th Highlanders at Keren. The 5th RAF Wing at Massawa concentrated on attacking the airfields and supply depots around Asmara.
In the afternoon radio messages from the Comando Supremo Africa Orientale HQ in Asmara were calling for ceasefire talks. They were told that only ceasefire talks leading to an Italian surrender are acceptable. The terms were accepted and in the early evening Gen. Luigi Negri Cesi from the 5th Alpini Division signed an agreement for the Italian capitulation. The only stumbling block had been the British demand for the arrest of the officer responsible for ordering the use of chemical weapons. That problem was solved when it was learned that General de Bono had committed suicide.
The Italian defeat in Africa is now complete but what to do with the more than 600,000 Italian and allied forces surrendering. Winning the peace is going to be very challenging.