Battle of Ocotal
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Ocotal occurred in July of 1927 during the American
occupation of Nicaragua
.
An overwhelming force of rebels loyal to Augusto César Sandino
attacked the garrison
of Ocotal, held by a small troop of marines and Nicaraguan National Guard
s. Ultimately the rebels were defeated with heavy lossed while the Americans, and their Nicaraguan allies, suffered only six casualties.
Captain Gilbert D. Hatfield left Managua
in command of forty-one marine officers and men with the intention of patrolling the Nueva Segovia area. Upon arriving at the town of Ocotal, Captain Hatfield expected enemy activity so he had his men dig in around Fort Ocotal to wait Sandino's offensive. Hatfield also requested reinforcements and in early July, forty-eight guardsmen, under two officers, arrived at the American base. The United States Marines and the Nicaraguan guards did not have to wait long for a battle. On July 15, Captain Hatfield doubled his watch and that same night, Sandino's rebels began entering the town, two or three men at a time. At 1:15 am on July 6, a lone marine patrolling the town spotted a suspicious man walking through a streetso he fired what became the first shot of the engagement. With the element of surprise lost, Sandino immediatley ordered his men to charge the marines and the guards. In the first few minutes of fighting, three charges were repulsed at close range and for the next few hours there was only minor skirmishing between the garrison and rebel sniper
s. At daybreak heavy fighting commenced again until 8:00 am when Sandino demanded Hatfield's surrender. Captain Hatfield refused to concede, apparently feeling that his fortified positions were strong enough to repel any further attack.
Daylight also brought two marine aircraft into the battle. At around 10:00 am, one of the planes, piloted by Lieutenant
Hayne Bolden, landed near Ocotal to inquire about the seriousness of the situation while the other plane, piloted by Gunner
Michael Wodarcsyk, strafed the enemy's positions. A little later, Lieutenant Bolden reboarded his plane, made a few more strafing runs and then flew back to Managua where he informed Major
Ross E. Rowell
of the battle. Major Rowell responded by forming a squadron of five De Havilland DH-4 biplane
s armed with machine guns and four twenty-five pound bombs each. At 2:35 pm, Rowell's squadron arrived at Ocotal and began dropping bombs on the rebels at 300 to 1,000 feet for about forty-five minutes. Most of Sandino's men, who had never been attacked by aircraft before, began to retreat at this point while the remainder took cover behind a stone wall, only to be flanked by Hatfield's men shorty afterwards. After that the battle was over. Fifty-six dead rebels were collected and over 100 more were wounded while the marines and the Nicaraguan guards lost only one man killed and five wounded.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
occupation of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
An overwhelming force of rebels loyal to Augusto César Sandino
Augusto César Sandino
Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua between 1927 and 1933...
attacked the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
of Ocotal, held by a small troop of marines and Nicaraguan National Guard
National Guard (Nicaragua)
In Nicaragua, the National Guard was a militia and a gendarmerie created during the occupation of that country by the United States from 1909 to 1933. It became notorious for human rights abuses and corruption under the regime of the Somoza family.-Creation:...
s. Ultimately the rebels were defeated with heavy lossed while the Americans, and their Nicaraguan allies, suffered only six casualties.
Battle
In May of 1927, United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Captain Gilbert D. Hatfield left Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
in command of forty-one marine officers and men with the intention of patrolling the Nueva Segovia area. Upon arriving at the town of Ocotal, Captain Hatfield expected enemy activity so he had his men dig in around Fort Ocotal to wait Sandino's offensive. Hatfield also requested reinforcements and in early July, forty-eight guardsmen, under two officers, arrived at the American base. The United States Marines and the Nicaraguan guards did not have to wait long for a battle. On July 15, Captain Hatfield doubled his watch and that same night, Sandino's rebels began entering the town, two or three men at a time. At 1:15 am on July 6, a lone marine patrolling the town spotted a suspicious man walking through a streetso he fired what became the first shot of the engagement. With the element of surprise lost, Sandino immediatley ordered his men to charge the marines and the guards. In the first few minutes of fighting, three charges were repulsed at close range and for the next few hours there was only minor skirmishing between the garrison and rebel sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
s. At daybreak heavy fighting commenced again until 8:00 am when Sandino demanded Hatfield's surrender. Captain Hatfield refused to concede, apparently feeling that his fortified positions were strong enough to repel any further attack.
Daylight also brought two marine aircraft into the battle. At around 10:00 am, one of the planes, piloted by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Hayne Bolden, landed near Ocotal to inquire about the seriousness of the situation while the other plane, piloted by Gunner
Gunner (rank)
Gunner is a rank equivalent to Private in the British Army Royal Artillery and the artillery corps of other Commonwealth armies. The next highest rank is usually Lance-Bombardier, although in the Royal Canadian Artillery it is Bombardier....
Michael Wodarcsyk, strafed the enemy's positions. A little later, Lieutenant Bolden reboarded his plane, made a few more strafing runs and then flew back to Managua where he informed Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Ross E. Rowell
Ross E. Rowell
Ross E. Rowell was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps aviator who achieved the rank of lieutenant general by the end of his 40 years of service...
of the battle. Major Rowell responded by forming a squadron of five De Havilland DH-4 biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s armed with machine guns and four twenty-five pound bombs each. At 2:35 pm, Rowell's squadron arrived at Ocotal and began dropping bombs on the rebels at 300 to 1,000 feet for about forty-five minutes. Most of Sandino's men, who had never been attacked by aircraft before, began to retreat at this point while the remainder took cover behind a stone wall, only to be flanked by Hatfield's men shorty afterwards. After that the battle was over. Fifty-six dead rebels were collected and over 100 more were wounded while the marines and the Nicaraguan guards lost only one man killed and five wounded.