Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a minor nation in East Africa, bordered by the 
United Kingdom to the northeast in British Somaliland and in the west, 
France in the north as they control French Somaliland (modern day Djibouti), the 
Sultanate of Aussa in the northeast, and 
Italy on the frontier with Eritrea in the north and Somalia to the south. Considering the size of the nation, Ethiopia is not in a weak position and instead has a large standing army of 21 divisions. However despite this it is a challenging nation to play due to the fact it starts at war with Italy who seek to annex the region into its global empire.
Historical background[edit | edit source]
Ethiopia was attacked by Italy in 1935, leading to the Second Italo-Abyssinian War (Ethiopia had previously repelled an Italian attack in 1895-1896 during the First Italo-Abyssinian War) which ended with an Italian victory and the annexation of Ethiopia into Italian East Africa. Ethiopia remained under Italian control until 1940 when the Allies launched the East African campaign resulting in an Allied victory and the Allied capture of Italian East Africa in 1941, allowing Ethiopia to effectively restore its sovereignty. Mussolini's government collapsed and Italy capitulated officially in 1943, with Ethiopia's independence being formally restored in the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947.
National focus[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Ethiopian national focus tree
Ethiopia gets a unique national focus tree as part of the 
By Blood Alone expansion. Without the expansion, Ethiopia utilizes the generic national focus tree.
The Ethiopian national focus tree can be divided into 6 branches and 4 sub-branches:
- Ecole Militaire Haile Selassie 1er Branch
- This branch gives buffs to Ethiopia’s army, navy, and air force. It also provides small research bonuses.
- Develop Shewa Branch
- This branch gives Ethiopia factories, railroads, dockyards, and research slots.
- The Second Italo-Ethiopian War Branch
- This branch gives Ethiopia temporary bonuses to strengthen them in the fight against Italy.
- Rally Around the Emperor Branch
- This branch will keep Haile Selassie I as the Emperor of Ethiopia. The country can attempt to get support from the international community in their anti-colonialist fight.
- The Emperor Stays Sub-branch
- Haile Selassie will remain in Ethiopia to fight the Italians more directly. This sub-branch sees Ethiopia go more independent of the international community.
- Boarding the Train Sub-branch
- While remaining the Ethiopian leader, Haile Selassie will leave the country to directly address the League of Nations to appeal for assistance.
- Reach Out to the Italians Branch
- This
Fascist branch will trigger a civil war, but it allows Ethiopia to avoid total annexation and instead become an Italian collaborator. However, it all depends on whether or not the Italians accept or reject the proposal.
- Military Communism Branch
- This
Communist branch flips Ethiopia communist, but it won’t end the war. However, once the fight ends, Ethiopia can pursue an African Union.
- A Callout to the World Sub-branch
- This allows Ethiopia to appeal to communist nations abroad for aid and, after the war, assist international communists in their struggles.
- Soviet Aid Sub-branch
- This allows Ethiopia to request help from the
Soviet Union. After the war, they can join the Comintern and receive some Soviet investment for their industry and military.
Diplomacy[edit | edit source]
As a Non-Aligned country, Ethiopia has a positive relationship with other Non-Aligned countries (+20 and +10) and a negative relationship with everyone else (-10). Ethiopia begins without any alliances at the start of 1936. It starts in a defensive war against Italy.
Politics[edit | edit source]
National Spirits[edit | edit source]
When the DLC By Blood Alone is enabled, Ethiopia starts with the following national spirits:
- Infantry Division Attack: +10.0%
- Research Speed: -15.00%
- Maximum Command Power Increase Multiplier: -25%
- Land Doctrine Cost: +50.00%
War support: +10.00%- Italy Attack bonus against country: +10.0%
Can join factions
- Construction Speed: -25.00%
- Production Efficiency Cap: -10.00%
- Research Speed: -25.00%
- Consumer Goods Factories: 5.0%
- Production Efficiency Retention: -10.00%
- Factory Output: -10.00%
- Dockyard Output: -10.00%
- Division Recovery Rate: +10.0%
- Enemy Air Support: -5.00%
Army experience Gain: -20.0%- Division Organization: -5.0%
- Supply Consumption: -10.0%
- Entrenchment speed: -50.0%
- Division Defense: -15.0%
- Max Entrenchment: -3.0
- Infantry Attack: +5.00%
- Irregular Infantry Attack: +10.00%
- Ship Refitting Cost: +25%
- Ship Repair Speed:: -10%
- Naval Doctrine Cost: +50.00%
- Air Accidents Chance: +15.0%
- Air Attack: -15%
- Enemy Air Support: +25.00%
- Air Doctrine Cost: +50.00%
Political parties[edit | edit source]
Ethiopia starts as a 
Non-Aligned nation.
| Party Name | Party Ideology | Party Leader | Popularity | Country Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDU |  Democratic |
Imru Haile Selassie | 5% | Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
| Black Lions | Communist |
Alemework Beyene | 5% | People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
| The Gugsa Line | Fascist |
Haile Selassie Gugsa | 20% | Ethiopian Empire |
| Solomonic Dynasty | Non-Aligned |
Haile Selassie | 70% | Ethiopia |
Political leaders[edit | edit source]
| Portrait | Leader | Ideology | Party | In power (1936) | Popularity | Leader trait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Haile Selassie | Non-Aligned | Solomonic Dynasty | Yes | 70% | By the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Elect of God
|
Laws[edit | edit source]
The nation starts with the following laws (this is not updated for BBA, as Ethiopia has a unique conscription law with the DLC enabled):
 |
This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
| Conscription Law | Economy Law | Trade Law |
|---|---|---|
 Volunteer Only
|
 Civilian Economy
|
 Export Focus
|
Staff and designers[edit | edit source]
These are the unique companies and individuals that are available for Ethiopians to use.
| Icon | Advisor | Type | Effect | Cost 
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Imru Haile Selassie | Modernist and Reformer |
|
150 
|
 |
Kassa Haile Darge | Staunch Loyalist |
|
150
|
 |
Abebe Aregai | Minister of the Interior |
|
150
|
 |
Makonnen Endelkachew | Smooth-Talking Charmer |
|
150
|
 |
Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam | Minister of Finance |
|
150
|
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost
|
|---|
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost
|
|---|
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost
|
|---|
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Nazareth Canvas and Garment Factory | Infantry Equipment Designer |
|
150
|
 |
Hibret Manufacturing and Machine Building Industry | Infantry Equipment Designer |
|
150
|
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Compagnie Impériale des Chemins de Fer Éthiopiens | Railway Company |
|
75
|
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Viking Tamm | Military Theorist |
|
50
|
Economy[edit | edit source]
Buildings[edit | edit source]
Ethiopia controls 10 states with a total of 33 provinces. There is 1 airbase in Shewa and 2 infrastructure. Haraghe is the only other states with 1 factory. Here is the number of factories in the whole country:
2  Military Factories |
0  Naval Dockyard |
2  Civilian Factories
|
|---|
Sidamo is the only state that has 1 free factory slot.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Ethiopia starts with the following resources:
 Oil |
 Rubber |
 Steel |
 Aluminium |
 Tungsten |
 Chromium
|
| 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Military[edit | edit source]
Army[edit | edit source]
| 10 Irregular Infantry Divisions | 9 Infantry Divisions |
0 Cavalry Division |
2 Mountaineer Division |
0 Light Tank Divisions
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total: 21 Divisions
[edit | edit source]
| No Ships
|
|---|
Total: 0 Ships
Air Force[edit | edit source]
| No Fighters
|
|---|
Total: 0 Planes
Strategies and guides[edit | edit source]
The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Ethiopia. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.Overview[edit | edit source]
Ethiopia starts at war with Italy, and with Italian troops already at the Ethiopian border. With few resources, a small industrial base, limited manpower and a poorly equipped army, the player will find it is almost impossible to survive the Italian onslaught. Generally, there are two known ways to survive: the first method is attempting to capture Italian-held ports as soon as possible, draining enemy troops of supply and kicking them off the continent. The second method is attempting to defend victory points for as long as possible until foreign help is acquired.
Industry[edit | edit source]
The player will find it difficult to get any kind of construction done as Ethiopia starts with only 1 free civilian factory, so it is recommended that the factory is immediately allocated to importing steel to boost infantry equipment production. Through the national focus tree, Ethiopia can gain more civilian and military factories, which can then be used to import more steel and to produce more infantry equipment. It should be noted that if the player decides to acquire a military factory first, they will find themselves with 0 free civilian factories due to the economic law. It can also be a worthwhile option to assign this factory to build a fort in the state of Addis Ababa if going for the defensive strategy, though after building the fort importing steel is recommended.
National focus[edit | edit source]
Without By Blood Alone, Ethiopia gets the default focus tree, and there are a few different ways to go about using it. Generally, it is recommended to focus on the industry tree to gain more factories. Going down the political tree is also beneficial, as the player can gain extra political power to spend and also extra manpower if going down the Fascist branch. Don't go for the infrastructure focus at the start, though, since it really only gives the Italians the ability to put more divisions on your frontline.
Possible strategies[edit | edit source]
Capture the ports[edit | edit source]
With the correct opening troop movements, the player may find that it is possible to capture the port at the southern coast. By locking down the east-most unit and attempting to flank around on the east, the Italian AI will reallocate troops and leave an opening in the middle of their line, allowing the player to quickly move units down and capture the port. Once the port is captured, allocate a few units to defend the port and the rest to the northern line. (Note that even though there is no port at Mogadishu at the start, if the Italians recapture that state a port will instantly appear.) At this point, the Italians can still push through on the northern front due to having superior firepower so it is recommended that the player either looks for an opening to capture the port, or buy time with good defence and build up a strong enough force to repel the Italians through conventional battle plans. Once the Italians have been kicked out of the horn of Africa, the player will then be free to do whatever they want.
Pocket Defense[edit | edit source]
It is recommended to keep the two Italian armies in Eritrea and Somalia separate - in order to do this, the player could immediately create a fallback line which stretches from the Harar victory point to the border with the British in the west. These are all mountain provinces, and the two tiles in the west are positioned behind rivers, which makes them extremely difficult to break but easy to defend. The Italian AI usually focuses on attacking the capital, so rotate troops that have low organisation out and move in units with the full organisation to keep the defence going. If the AI is about to break any tile before your reinforcements could arrive, try using the Last Stand command - the extra few hours it can buy may be the difference between capitulating and surviving. Building a level 1 fort in your capital with your 1-2 available civilan factory is also a decent idea, although it may be better to use them to import steel to maximize weapons production as it is likely that the constant assault wouldn't allow any construction anyway. With only 3 Infrastructure, there should be only 2-3 Italian divisions per tile. Take the army advisors to minimize the impact of their assaults. The AI usually gives up on trying to break your national redoubt by mid-1937.
Now for the counterattack. You should have a ton of army XP by now, so invest in creating a division template with line and support artillery (which you need to research); a standard 7/2 template does the job. Gradually convert your weaker divisions into these offensive divisions, and make sure you have enough manpower either by upping your conscription law or by going down the Nationalism branch in your focus tree. Superior Firepower should be your doctrine here, since Italy has more manpower than you and your only advantage relies on breaking their front before they can reinforce it. Once you could mass around 7-8 divisions with artillery, and have sufficient manpower and equipment, you can strike them - usually by early to mid 1938 you have enough equipment for an offensive.
There are two directions you can strike from, north and south. Eritrea only has a single port, so if you capture it there will no longer be any reinforcements and the Italian divisions in the north will start to lose supply. Immediately launch an assault with all your divisions that are not holding the southern front and annihilate their units. Leave a single division guarding Asmara (the AI tends to attempt naval invasions to recapture it), and use your offensive divisions against the Italians in the south. Typically, the easternmost hill tile is the easiest to break compared to the other mountain tiles. Try to encircle the Italian divisions again, and once you've accomplished this it's typically straightforward to push any remaining Italians to the sea and seize the two ports.
Once you've captured every tile, you will be able to click on the decision that will force Italy into a peace with you, leaving you with control over Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. Congratulations, you are now an independent country at peace!
Lure the Italians
It is recommended to make 2 armies for this.
You can let the Italians push through your territory to make them have more casualties then you. Unfortunately, this means you have to give up the state of Tigray and basically half of Haraghe. First, you get the northern divisions or the divisions north of Addis Ababa to make a defensive line on the provinces of Gondar and Dessie. Then, get the rest of the divisions to defend the most eastern province of Sidamo, Gaba, and Harar. when those defensive lines border the Italians, replace them with a front line to prepare to take Aussa when Italy annexes them. If they retake Aussa, dont freak out, the Italian AI will get some divisions from the north to go to Aussa, once those divisions are there, try to attack the province above Aussa, if that suceeds, try to attack Aussa so it turns into an encirclement. If you complete the focus Victory in the Desert or Northern Thrust, try to attack the direction you picked, if that fails then try to finish the focuses that give peace with Italy.
Late game[edit | edit source]
If 
Together for Victory is enabled, the player can release 
Eritrea and 
Somali Sultanate (or form collaboration governments if 
La Résistance is also enabled). These two countries can gain more factories from their focus trees, and they can be reannexed later if the player wishes.
Once at peace, Ethiopia can choose to join the Axis or the Allies (or the Comintern, for that matter). Joining the Allies would give Ethiopia an opportunity for revenge against Italy, while joining the Axis may net Ethiopia much territorial gain in Africa.
| North America |
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| South America |
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| Oceania |
