The Second Battle of Massawa (also known as Operation Fenkil and as the Fenkil offensive) took place in 1990 in and around the coastal city of Massawa in Eritrea.

1. Battle of Massawa (1990)
(Operation Fenkel)

2. The Second Battle of Massawa (also known
as Operation Fenkil and as the Fenkil offensive)
took place in 1990 in and around the coastal city of
Massawa in Eritrea.

3. The offensive was conducted by both land and sea
units of the Eritrean People's Liberation
Front (EPLF) against the Ethiopian Army.

4. Battle
Beginning on February 8, 1990 the EPLF forces
began the offensive by cutting of the critical
supply route from the Asmara garrison.

5. The surprise attack stunned the Ethiopian military
and by the following afternoon the EPLF forces were
in the suburbs of Massawa.

6. On the third day of the offensive, February 11,
1990, the Eritrean forces captured the Ethiopian
naval base near the town.

7. The only remaining portion of the city to rid of
Ethiopian troops were the islands.

8. To achieve this the Eritrean forces used their
nascent naval forces (mostly small gunboats) to
attack from by sea during an artillery barrage.

9. Using this artillery fire the Eritrean armor moved
onto the causeways that connected the islands
with the mainland.

10. The first of these tanks were destroyed by the
Ethiopian garrison, however, they were eventually
overcome by the EPLF.

11. After this defeat the remainder of the Ethiopian
forces retreated to Ghinda.

12. Even after the loss of Massawa, the Ethiopians
continued their aerial bombardment of the city.

13. The civilian population was hardest hit as the EPLF
forces had followed the Ethiopian troops to
Ghinda.

14. Notable of this bombardment was
that napalm and cluster bombs were used.

15. The battle was commemorated by a memorial of
three tanks in War Memory Square near the
Massawa city centre on Tualud Island by the
entrance to the causeway to the mainland.

16. In 2004 on the fourteenth anniversary of the battle,
Eritrea issued a set of two stamps and a three-
stamp minisheet honoring the "Liberation of
Massawa".

17. Pictured on the 40c was the tank memorial with
fountain, on the 50c was a speedboat (gunboat)
with soldiers.

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