TNT History Archives: Ottoman & Senussi Anti-Italian Efforts in Libya (1918 & 1924)/Part II/FINAL

//Ed. note: The first two paragraphs here are 

the continuation of Part I (1918).//

"The same day, as the local fighters were attacking from land,(probably

German) submarines forced a 900-ton ship to run aground, allowing 

the contents to be looted by the local populace.  The local fighters then

took what they wanted, blew up the ship and spirited the crew members 

into the interior."

"Recently, the local fighters have agreed to exchange prisoners with the

Italians, who had taken village leaders as hostages during their retreat.

Now, though, since the Italians are increasingly vulnerable on the coast,

they may send these prisoners to Eritrea." 

//Ed. note: Fast-forward six years to 1924, when 

the Italians were engaged in their long and brutal

"Pacification" - click here for the gory details.  

This related article is also from the Istanbul 

journal  'Sebil'ül Reşad', dated 28 August 1924.//

Senussi rebel leader Omar Mukhtar, chained

after his arrest by the Italians in 1931.  Soon

afterwards, he was executed in a public

hanging.

"Written from the Sirte fighters' HQS in Tripoli:"

"In my last letter, I wrote that a 7,500-man enemy force had attacked

in three columns an hour before dawn on the night of 25-26 Zilkade

(18-19 June 1924).  After a long and bloody battle, we captured heavy

artillery and 300 camels, taking 38 Italian soldiers as prisoners, too. 

 The rest of the enemy was only saved by their protection by their

battered warships."

      Count Giuseppe Volpi

"However, to redress this bitter defeat, based on the order of the 

Tripoli commander and governor Count Volpi, a top-secret attack plan 

was developed and the date selected for its implementation was the

tenth of Zilhicce (2 July), the day of the 'bayram' (Moslem religious

holiday).  On that day, while everyone was busy with religious 

observations and listening to the 'hitap' (preacher) explain the story of

İsmail, a cavalryman of our reconnaissance columns arrived in haste

and announced 'To the fight Moslems! The enemy is upon us!'"

"Everyone grabbed his weapon, yelled 'God is Great,' and set out to

battle.  This was the second great battle of Tripoli.  On our front alone,

there were 15 Italian airplanes participating and at Dotülberama there

were 8 airplanes.  Thanks be to God, no one was affected by the gas

bombs the airplanes dropped."

"This battle continued non-stop for two days and two nights.  Thanks

to the patience and determination of the fighters, 6 machine guns, 2

mountain guns, 128 ammunition crates, 300 crates of macaroni and

a large amount of other foodstuffs were seized and 100 Italian soldiers

taken prisoner, two of them officers - one an Italian captain and the 

other an Eritrean lieutenant.  The number of enemy dead was beyond

counting." 

//Ed. note:  'Sebil'ür Reşad' took the 

unusual step of disassociating itself

from the correspondant://

"This individual named Ispartalı Zeynülabindin purports to represent 

'Sebil'ür Reşad', trying to deceive people in that regard, although we

state again for the second time that he has no affiliation at all with 

Sebil'ür Reşad."

//END of PART TWO/FINAL//