Northern Front

The vanguard of the 5th Indian Division crosses into Eritrean territory and seizes the village of Aicota (Eritrea) at 10:30. The 10th Indian Infantry Brigade then pushes east towards Biscia (Eritrea) and makes contact with the Italian rearguard. For its part, the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade reaches the fort at Keru (Eritrea), about 37 miles east of Kassala (Sudan). British troops are checked by an Italian defensive position where the XLI Brigata Coloniale (Generale Ugo Fongoli), five battalions strong, has entrenched.

Progress is harder for Gazelle Force. Threatening the flank of the Italian troops, headquarters orders Capitano Amedeo Guillet to charge the British with the Gruppo Bande Amahara to delay the enemy by at least 24 hours. Eritrean horsemen infiltrate by night and, at dawn, launch a charge against the rear of Gazelle Force, catching it completely by surprise. A first group of about sixty horsemen strikes first, dropping grenades to spread panic. A second charge, with 500 men, then goes in to exploit the breach in the British defence. The Eritrean cavalry are finally driven off only when they come up against Gazelle Force HQ and artillery, thanks to the intervention of Matildas and several machine guns. Although the Gruppo Bande Amahara suffers significant losses—179 horsemen killed and about 260 wounded—Gazelle Force is ordered to halt its advance, allowing the Italian troops as a whole to reach the defensive positions at Agordat (Eritrea).

According to a British officer: 

« As our battery goes into position, we suddenly see a group of native cavalry, led by an officer on a white horse, charging from the hills to the north. With impressive courage they gallop to within some thirty metres of our guns, firing and throwing grenades. We swing our guns through 180° and fire almost point-blank. Some shells fall without detonating, while others tear into the horses’ chests. We are finally forced to resort to our machine guns and armoured vehicles to beat back this furious charge. »

According to an Italian document :

« … with the mission of covering the retreat of our battalions … by skilful manoeuvre and a commander’s intuition … during a day of fierce fighting, on foot and on horseback … he charges repeatedly while leading his units to the assault of an opponent superior in numbers and means, setting tanks alight, striking at the flank of the enemy artillery … despite heavy losses … Capitano Amedeo Guillet … at a particularly difficult moment in this hard-fought action, leads—without regard for danger—an attack against enemy tanks using hand-grenades and tins of petrol. »

The Regia Aeronautica continues to harass British troops, employing bombers and fighters. Conversely, the RAF is used mainly outside the battle area. Thus No.8 (RAF) Squadron details four Bristol Blenheim Mk I to bomb the station at Aysha (Ethiopia) on the railway from Djibouti (Djibouti) between 13:20 and 16:25. No.14 (RAF) Squadron returns to the port of Massawa (Eritrea) with three aircraft between 22:25 and 23:45, but the crews are unable to identify the target owing to thick cloud. Finally, six Vickers Wellesleys of No.223 (RAF) Squadron take off for a support operation to Ethiopian patriots in the Lake Tana (Ethiopia) region between 22:25 and 02:25. Again the bombing is ineffective: after circling the sector for an hour, the crews cannot identify any targets because fog blankets the high plateaux.

No.237 (Rhodesia) Squadron, with two Hawker Hardys patrolling the Keru (Eritrea) sector in the morning, completes the conversion of C Flight to Westland Lysander Mk II (replacing Hawker Audax).

No.1 (SAAF) Squadron also continues its patrols over the battle area. At 07:20, Lieutenants Oscar B. Coetzee, Johan J. Coetzer, Hendrik J. Burger, Robin Pare, and Denis L. Taylor take off in Gloster Gladiators to intercept a formation of Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s west of Aicota (Eritrea). As on the previous day, the South Africans fail to intercept. Following these failures, the squadron is divided into three Flights forward-based as close to the front as possible:

• A Flight (Oxo, west of Kassala): Captain Gerald J. le Mesurier; Lieutenants Servaas de Kock Viljoen, Hendrik J. Burger, Oscar B. Coetzee, and Leonard le Clues Theron;

• B Flight (Kassala): Captain Brian J. L. Boyle; Lieutenants Thomas A. W. Irvine, Robin Pare, E. A. Jarvis, and Denis L. Taylor;

• C Flight (Kassala): Lieutenants John L. Hewitson, Johan J. Coetzer, P. H. Smith, Walter J. Townshend-Smith, and K. A. Young.

Southern Front

At 08:00, six Fairey Battles of No.11 (SAAF) Squadron, under Major A. D. Irvine, take off from Archers Post (Kenya) to bomb Shashamané (Ethiopia) aerodrome, where at least six Italian aircraft are reported. The attack goes in in two waves, and the crews claim three Savoia-Marchetti SM.81s destroyed and two more damaged. In reality, only one bomber is destroyed. All Fairey Battles return despite heavy anti-aircraft defence.

For its part, No.2 (SAAF) Squadron finds its Hawker Furies plagued by technical problems due to the heat, which boils the oil in the engines. A new oil is trialled with only limited success: “the aircraft overheat magnificently and the mechanics are thoroughly disgusted”. The Hawker Furies are temporarily grounded, and No.40 (SAAF) Squadron is tasked to loan several Hartbees to provide the air alert in their place. Thus Lieutenant Basil Guest and Air Corporal Potgieter (a mechanic) patrol all day in one of these aircraft over the Lokitaung (Kenya) sector. According to the No.2 (SAAF) Squadron War Diary: “The heat, the dust and the flies are in very good health. The end of a perfect day.”