In 1935, with the rank of colonel, he participated in the conquest of Ethiopia at the head of the 2nd Eritrean Brigade, participating in the battles of Tembien and of Maychew; he distinguished himself in the fighting and was promoted to brigadier general for war merit in May 1936. After the occupation of Addis Ababa, he was placed at the head of the commissariat of Debre Berhan, and tasked with suppressing the resistance by the Abyssinian ras who had not laid down their arms in the Scioa. Among them were Abebe Aregai and the Kassa brothers – Wondosson Kassa, Aberra Kassa, and Asfawossen Kassa – who from Selale supplied weapons to the guerrillas. The Arbegnoch operated near the road that connected Addis Ababa with the Gojjam, threatening the flow of supplies to the capital; the intensification of the actions of Aregai's men led the Italian command in to planning Operation F, aimed at capturing Fiche in order to secure the roads to Addis Ababa, but by early December 1936 nothing had been done, therefore Tracchia decided to take the matter into his own hands and act with the troops he had at his disposal. On 9 December he occupied Mendida, which he found deserted; nevertheless, he set fire to the buildings and crops of Aregai's family and his supporters. Immediately afterwards he occupied Dannebo, where he was joined by a column led by Colonel Amedeo Tosti. On December 13 the Italian troops occupied the villages of Abdella and Dirma, where they clashed with the Arbegnoch; 88 guerrillas were killed in action and twenty-three were executed after capture, and the two villages were razed. Altogether, from 9 to 15 December Tracchia's troops killed 126 Arbegnoch in battle and shot 72 more after capture, and captured a heavy machine gun, nine light machine guns and 1,557 rifles. Italian losses amounted to ten askari.[1][6][7][8][5]
Tracchia then continued his advance towards Fiche, finding several villages burned by the retreating forces of Aregai; those that had been left intact, if suspected of hiding weapons, were destroyed, and the men executed. On 21 December Aberra and Asfawossen Kassa surrendered to Tracchia, having been promised by Hailu Tekle Haymanot (on behalf of Viceroy Rodolfo Graziani) that they would not be harmed; but Tracchia had them shot on the same day in the main square of Fiche. Afterwards, Tracchia established a military garrison in Fiche, leaving Colonel Arduino Garelli there as resident minister; he received the submission of the local clergy, ordered the reopening of the Amharic school, the establishment of a civilian hospital, and had subsidies distributed to the clergy and civilians. Altogether, 221 Ethiopian guerrillas had been killed in action during the campaign, and 162 more executed; a tank, a field gun, sixty-one machine guns and 6,073 rifles were captured. Italian losses amounted to 101 killed.[9][10][11][12][13][5]
On 4 January 1937 Tracchia advanced from Fiche towards the Blue Nile, in order to subdue the entire region; resistance leaders such as Ilma Woldeyesus and Hailé Selassié Zerrofu were captured and shot. On 8 March Tracchia was replaced by Blackshirt Colonel Ferruccio Gatti as commander of the Debre Berhan garrison, taking over that of the garrison of Gur Sellassiè. Following the attempt on Viceroy Graziani’s life in Addis Ababa on 19 February 1937, Tracchia received the order to carry out a reprisal against the monastery of Debre Libanos, but the action was postponed till May and ended up being carried out by General Pietro Maletti instead. Tracchia was awarded a further two Silver Medals of Military Valor for his role in the conquest of Ethiopia.[14][15][16][5]
World War II and later years
After returning to Italy, Tracchia was at disposal of the Ministry of the Colonies before becoming deputy commander of the 32nd Motorized Division Trento. He was then attached to the Bolzano Army Corps from August to September 1938, to the Rome Army Corps from September 1938 to February 1939, and to the Turin Army Corps from February to May 1939.[1]
