Battle of Boquerón
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Boquerón was a battle fought from September 7 to 29 in 1932 between the Bolivian and Paraguayan armies in and around the stronghold of Boquerón. It was the first major battle of the Chaco War
Chaco War
The Chaco War was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. It is also referred to as La Guerra de la Sed in literary circles for being fought in the semi-arid Chaco...

. The outpost (fortín) of Boquerón, among others, had been occupied by Bolivian troops since late July 1932 following instructions of president Daniel Salamanca leading to the escalation of the border conflict into a full-scale war.

The attack of Boquerón was the first move of the first Paraguayan offensive that was aimed to pound the Bolivian Army and capture territory before Bolivia had fully mobilized its army and resources. Paraguayan colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 José Félix Estigarribia
José Félix Estigarribia
Marshal José Félix Estigarribia Insaurralde was a decorated Paraguayan war hero and President of Paraguay for the Liberal party. Educated as an agronomist, he joined the national Army in 1910 and spent time in Chile and in Saint Cyr's military academy in France for additional training...

 led the attack. The first Paraguayan assault on Boqueron was repulsed. Both sides suffered from the lack of potable water, the Paraguayans had to get it from Isla Poí (30 miles to the east) and Bolivians in the compound got their wells contaminated by dead bodies. Bolivian aviation tried with little success to drop ammunition, food and water in the form of ice blocks. The Bolivian soldiers were able to get 916 cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...

s, a sack of bread and 110 pounds of dried meat from the air drops. On September 12 a 3,500 men-strong Bolivian relief column coming from the southwest was fought back near the outpost of Yucra, suffering about 1,500 casualties. As the siege progressed there was a shortage of water supply from Isla Poí due to over extraction from the wells. In the face of these problems José Félix Estigarribia ordered an all-or-nothing attack on the outpost on September 26. Three days later on September 29 the last 240 Bolivian defenders (not including sick or wounded) surrendered.

Sources

  • Latin America's Wars: The age of the professional soldier, 1900-2001. Robert L. Scheina. Pages 93-95
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