Italian Conquest of British Somaliland - Aftermath

Aftermath

The port of Berbera was used by the Italian submarines of the Red Sea Flotilla as a small base in the last months of 1940.

The British Prime Minister—Winston Churchill—criticised Gen. Wavell concerning the loss of British Somaliland. It was Wavell's Middle East Command which was responsible for the loss of the colony. Because of the low casualty rate, Churchill fretted that the colony had been abandoned without enough of a fight and proposed a court of enquiry. In response to this criticism, Wavell claimed that Somaliland was a textbook withdrawal in the face of superior numbers. He pointed out to Churchill that "A bloody butcher’s bill is not the sign of a good tactician." According to Churchill's staff, Wavell's retort moved Churchill to greater fury than they had ever seen before and probably marked the start of the decline of Wavell's position with Churchill that led to his dismissal.

British Somaliland remained part of Italian East Africa for a matter of months. In March 1941 the 1st/2nd Punjab Regiment and the 3rd/15th Punjab Regiment} returned from Aden to re-occupy the territory during the East African Campaign.

One important consequence was written on Time magazine: "The Britons' greatest loss was in prestige, especially among Arabs."