"Tanks of the Chaco War, 1932-1933" Topic

"The Chaco War, 1932-1935, fought between the South American nations of Paraguay and Bolivia, was one of bloodiest conflicts of the inter-war era and the largest fought in South America during the 20th century. More than 100,000 soldiers perished in the struggle for roughly 250,000 square miles of unforgiving terrain, known also as the Chaco Boreal, on the shared border with Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil. Beginning as a 19th century territorial dispute, the diplomatic situation in the Chaco had been unstable in the late 1920's, especially after Standard Oil had discovered large reserves of oil in the region. Following the destruction of the Bolivian fort at Vanguardia in 1928, both nations prepared for war. The long standing dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay escalated in June of 1932 into a complex and large scale conflict, the bloodiest in modern South American history. Both Argentina and Royal Dutch Shell had a stake in the dispute, with who would control the flow of oil out of the Chaco, a vital question which had to be settled by the warring nations.

Hostilities in the Chaco featured World War I-style tactics including infantry assaults, cavalry patrols, massive artillery barrages, and fortress warfare, as well as modern war developments including armored fighting vehicles (tanks) and warplanes. Even though tanks and armored fighting vehicles were still evolving from novel weapons of war during the inter-war period, tanks and tankettes were deployed in a limited role during the Chaco War to some success but mostly failed in their strategic objectives. Offering a unique precursor study into the earliest battlefield deployment of the tank which predates the Spanish Civil War, the conflict in the Chaco showcased Bolivian Vickers 6-Ton tanks operated by Bolivian and foreign volunteers…"

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Amicalement
Armand

Very interesting, THANKS, Armand.

Chick

Courtesy of the Warfare History blog.

A votre service mon ami! (smile)

Amicalement
Armand