A series of conflicts between Italy, Abyssinia (Ethiopia), and later Britain. War broke out as a result of Italy’s unfulfilled ambition of 1894–96 to link Eritrea with Somalia, and Mussolini’s aim to provide colonies to absorb Italy’s surplus unemployed population. In 1934 and 1935 incidents, which were possibly contrived, took place at Walwal and elsewhere. On 3 October 1935 an Italian army attacked the Ethiopian forces from the north and east. Eventually the Ethiopians mustered 40,000 men, but they were helpless against the highly trained troops and modern weapons of the Italians. Fighting continued during the Italian occupation (1936–41). In 1940 the Italians occupied British Somaliland, but in 1941 British troops evicted the Italians entirely from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia in a four‐month campaign with support from Ethiopian nationalists.