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"The Cuban troops in Ethiopia played a very important role"
The Democratic Republic of Somalia invaded Ethiopia in mid-1977 to realize a
dream that had eluded its leaders for 17 years: the annexation of the Ogaden, a
first step toward the creation of a Greater Somalia co-extensive with the Somali
people in the Horn of Africa. The invasion ignited a major war of attrition that
involved many external actors and brought the Somalis very close to attaining
their strategic goal. For the Ethiopians, who were in the midst of a profound social
transformation, military defeat would have cost them about a third of their territory. It might also have precipitated not only the fall of the still-fledgling government in Addis Ababa, but possibly also the defeat of the Ethiopian revolution and
the dismemberment of the country. Because of a serendipitous confluence of
forces and events, however, Ethiopia averted catastrophe and turned the tables on
the aggressor. The dramatic and massive intervention by socialist countries
enabled the Ethiopians to crush and repel the invading army, which never recovered fully from its stunning defeat.
Was Ethiopian victory or Somali defeat primarily due to Soviet and Cuban intervention, or did other intrinsic factors influence the eventual outcome of the war?
Without doubt external interference decisively shifted the balance of forces on the
battlefield during the last two months of the conflict. While incompetent leadership contributed to their failure, eventually the Somalis were crushed by the sheer
weight of numbers and technology. With the arrival of 18,000 Cuban artillerymen, tank crews, and pilots who undertook and suffered much of the dangerous
combat tasks during the counter-offensive and about 1,500 Soviet military experts
who brought with them a vast amount of armaments, the Somalis stood absolutely
no chance of success. That Cuban-Soviet assistance was decisive in both their
defeat and expulsion is therefore incontrovertible.90 Yet the Somalis were ultimately checked from achieving their aim by the Ethiopians who fought them to a
deadlock for six gruelling months. By stabilizing the front on their own, the
Ethiopians turned the situation in their favor. In essence, they won by not losing.
Resoluteness was their main asset but they did benefit from the vacillation of or
even bungling by the Somali high command.
Show me the sources that prove your point of view . I will be waiting for them.No matter how hard you try , for us the Cubans had boobs "cuba naasdheer" at first our soldiers thought they were girls. The glorious Somali peaple won that war militarily . And we whole heartedlly enjoyed every battle . No regrets.
Even after 8 generations our peaople will still remember that we won that war militarily.
Could you show me any book or source that prove Somalia defeated Cuba, Soviet Union and Ethiopia?
He says President Barre's failures made a significant contribution towards Somalia's defeat in the War. According to him, it was more prudent to focus on negotiated peace than pursuing an ambitious military victory. Another mistake by the president was the expulsion of USSR, which accelerated Ethiopia's regional power.
I have the same feeling for somali army, but if Yusuf, Typhoon or someone else have sources about a great Somalia victory, they must show us those sources.The Cuban veteran had great respect for the Somali forces and how they fought the war
1978 was the year Somali troops pull out with the soviet orders. How dumb can you be understanding this?. Without the super power intervention many cuban and Ethiopian's first language would have been Somali.1 cuban POW does not change the final outcome of 1977 war.
I want books and sources that prove Somalia victory in 1978. Do you understand me?
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