It is universally agreed by historian that after Adwa, Menelik had the military capability to drive the Italians into the sea. The Italians were almost annihilated because they had sustained heavy(70%) casualties – 7,500 Italian soldiers of European origin and an additional 7,100 Eritrean-born recruits were killed, altogether numbering almost 15,000.
Furthermore 1,428 Italian soldiers were wounded and 1,865 became prisoners of war. The Italian army at the conclusion of the Adwa battle had, therefore, for all practical purposes, ceased to be a viable fighting force.” Theodore M. Vestal, Ph.D.”Reflection on the Battle of Adwa and Its significance for Today”(source: “The Battle of Adwa: Reflections on Ethiopia’s Historic Victory Against European Colonialism”)((Photo: Ethiopia Adwa monument dedicated to fallen Italian soldier)
