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Lechemti massacre

SOLVED1936Bonàia airfield, near Nekemte (Lechemti), Ethiopia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

In late June 1936, during the Italian conquest of western Ethiopia following the occupation of Addis Ababa, the Italian colonial government under Viceroy Rodolfo Graziani organized an air expedition to Lechemti (Nekemte) to secure the submission of Oromo leader Dejazmatch Hapte Mariam and establish an Italian garrison. The mission, led by General Vincenzo Magliocco, departed Addis Ababa on 26 June 1936 aboard two Caproni Ca.133 bombers and one IMAM Ro.37 reconnaissance aircraft, carrying 3,000 silver Maria Theresa thalers intended to fund a local force. The party landed at the Bonàia airfield near Lechemti around 13:00, where they were met by Oromo delegates sent by Hapte Mariam, and set up camp for the night, believing themselves protected.

According to the account, roughly 150 students from the Holeta military school, previously trained by Swedish officers and sent to Lechemti by the provisional Ethiopian government in Gore, had arrived in the area to monitor Hapte Mariam. On the night of 26–27 June 1936, these students, acting outside Hapte Mariam's control, attacked the Italian camp. The Oromo guards assigned to protect the expedition reportedly fled at the outset of the attack. Eleven of the twelve Italians in the camp were killed, including General Magliocco and Major Antonio Locatelli, a decorated aviator. The three aircraft were burned. The sole survivor was Father Mario Borello, a Consolata missionary who had earlier facilitated contact with Hapte Mariam and who witnessed events from a nearby grove; his testimony remains the only detailed account of the attack, and later writers, including Angelo Del Boca, have noted inconsistencies in his reported movements. Ethiopian sources on the attack are described as scarce, though the operation is attributed to named Ethiopian commanders in the source material.

News of the deaths caused public mourning in Italy. Benito Mussolini sent a telegram to Locatelli's family calling him "one of the purest and most intrepid souls of Fascism." Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano proposed an aerial retaliation against Lechemti, though large-scale retaliation was deferred after the League of Nations lifted sanctions on Italy on 4 July 1936. Sources indicate that on 5 July 1936 Italian aircraft bombed a Swedish missionary school complex, and Italian press reported "mass reprisal actions" against villages believed to have sheltered the attackers.

In the following months, Father Borello persuaded Hapte Mariam to submit to Italian rule; on 8 October 1936 Hapte Mariam swore allegiance to Italy at Lechemti. All twelve members of the original expedition were later awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor. A memorial to the dead was inaugurated at Bonàia in February 1939 by Viceroy Amedeo d'Aosta and Colonial Minister Attilio Teruzzi; the remains of the dead had been recovered by Father Borello in December 1936 and interred there. The memorial and aircraft wreckage were later destroyed following the defeat of Italian forces in East Africa and the restoration of Haile Selassie.

Key facts

Victims
Mario Calderini, Renato Ciprari, Mario Galli, Vincenzo Magliocco, Alberto Agostini, Giulio Malenza, Antonio Drammis dei Drammis, Giorgio Bombonati, Mario Borello, Luigi Gabelli, Adolfo Prasso, William D'Altri, Antonio Locatelli
Date
1936
Location
Bonàia airfield, near Nekemte (Lechemti), Ethiopia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1936-05-05

    Italian forces occupy Addis Ababa.

  2. 1936-06-10

    British consul Esme Nourse Erskine meets Dejazmatch Hapte Mariam Gabre Egziahaber regarding a proposed British mandate over western Ethiopia.

  3. 1936-06-11

    Approximately 150 students from the Holeta military school and Eritrean deserters reportedly arrive in Lechemti, sent by the Gore government to monitor Hapte Mariam.

  4. 1936-06-26

    Italian air expedition led by General Vincenzo Magliocco departs Addis Ababa for Lechemti and lands at the Bonàia airfield.

  5. 1936-06-27

    Ethiopian guerrilla fighters, including Holeta military school students, attack the Italian camp at Bonàia overnight, killing eleven of twelve Italians present.

  6. 1936-07-04

    The League of Nations revokes sanctions against Italy and rejects Haile Selassie's request for assistance.

  7. 1936-07-05

    Italian aircraft reportedly bomb a Swedish missionary school complex near Lechemti.

  8. 1936-07-05

    A message from Father Mario Borello, sole survivor of the attack, reaches Addis Ababa via courier.

  9. 1936-07-10

    Mussolini sends a telegram to Antonio Locatelli's family expressing condolences.

  10. 1936-07-21

    Father Borello persuades Hapte Mariam to return to Lechemti and accept Italian rule.

  11. 1936-10-02

    An Italian air patrol led by Colonel Umberto Baistrocchi lands again at Bonàia.

  12. 1936-10-08

    Dejazmatch Hapte Mariam swears allegiance to Italy at Lechemti.

  13. 1936-12

    Father Borello recovers the remains of the dead expedition members.

  14. 1939-02

    Viceroy Amedeo d'Aosta and Colonial Minister Attilio Teruzzi inaugurate a memorial to the fallen at Lechemti.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Mario Calderini

    VICTIM

    Colonel; killed in the attack.

  • Renato Ciprari

    VICTIM

    Radio operator sergeant; killed in the attack.

  • Mario Galli

    VICTIM

    Pilot captain; killed in the attack.

  • Vincenzo Magliocco

    VICTIM

    Brigadier general; leader of the Italian air expedition; killed in the attack.

  • Alberto Agostini

    VICTIM

    First airman engineer; killed shortly after the attack.

  • Giulio Malenza

    VICTIM

    Airman and radio operator; killed in the attack.

  • Antonio Drammis dei Drammis

    VICTIM

    Captain observer; killed in the attack.

  • Giorgio Bombonati

    VICTIM

    Pilot marshal; killed in the attack.

  • Mario Borello

    VICTIM

    Lieutenant chaplain and Consolata missionary; sole survivor of the attack.

  • Luigi Gabelli

    VICTIM

    Lieutenant pilot; killed in the attack.

  • Adolfo Prasso

    VICTIM

    Engineer soldier; killed in the attack; only known mixed-race civilian awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor during the Ethiopian campaign.

  • William D'Altri

    VICTIM

    First airman motorist; killed in the attack.

  • Antonio Locatelli

    VICTIM

    Major pilot and aviator; killed in the attack.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Bonàia airfield, near Nekemte (Lechemti), Ethiopia

8.9642, 36.6672

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On the night of 26–27 June 1936, Ethiopian guerrilla fighters attacked an Italian military air expedition camped at the Bonàia airfield near Nekemte (Lechemti), Ethiopia, killing eleven of the twelve Italians present, including General Vincenzo Magliocco and aviator Antonio Locatelli.
Where did the massacre happen?
Bonàia airfield, near Nekemte (Lechemti), Ethiopia.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Ethiopia

Sources

  1. Lechemti massacrewikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — quirinale.itnews · quirinale.it · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — archiviolastampa.itnews · archiviolastampa.it · 2026-07-07