The First Battle of Nanawa was a battle fought from January 20 to 26 in 1933 between the Bolivian and Paraguayan armies during 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...

. Nanawa (Enxet for "carob tree

Carob tree

Ceratonia siliqua, commonly known as the Carob tree and St John's-bread, is a species of flowering evergreen shrub or tree in the pea family, Fabaceae...

 forest"), established by the Paraguayans in 1928, was considered the strongest Paraguayan outpost after it was heavily fortified by the end of 1932 under directives of Ivan Belaieff and Nicolas Ern, two White Russian

White Russian

White Russian may refer to:* White Russian , an alcoholic beverage* White movement members during the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1923* A White émigré from the Russian Civil War...

 veterans who joined the Paraguayan army in the 1920s. Zig-zag trenches, barbed wire

Barbed wire

Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...

 and machine gun nests were built by the garrison around a horseshoe shaped defence. Nanawa's commander, Col. Luis Irrazábal

Luis Irrazábal

The Colonel Luis Irrazabal Barboza was born in Encarnación City, in Itapúa Department, Paraguay, on August 8, 1891 and died in 1958.He went to elementary school in Encarnación and to high school in Asunción, capital of Paraguay.-Beginnings:...

 summoned under his command four regiments and several minor units which made up the Paraguayan fifth division. The commander-in-chief of the Bolivian army, German World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 veteran Hans Kundt

Hans Kundt

Hans Kundt was a German military officer from a family of military officers...

, directed the Bolivan assault personally in place. The Bolivian army launched three attacks that stalled after capture of some parts of the stronghold. After this failure, the Bolivian troops attempted to dig a trench around the Nanawa complex to isolate it but were met by Paraguayan reinforcements. Heavy rains forced the Bolivians to abandon what they had captured of the complex and the Paraguayans soon recovered these positions.

The Bolivian troops did not leave the area after the costly attempt but fortified themselves in a semicircle around the Paraguayan trenches. On July during the dry season the Bolivian army attempted again to capture Nanawa in the Second Battle of Nanawa

Second Battle of Nanawa

The Second Battle of Nanawa was a battle fought from July 4 to 9 in 1933 between the Bolivian and Paraguayan armies during the Chaco War. It was one of the bloodiest battles fought in South America in the 20th century, coming to be labeled as the "South American Verdun" by comparison with the...

. Toghether with the second battle of Nanawa, it was one of the bloodiest battles fought in South America in the 20th century, coming to be labeled as the "South American Verdun" by comparison with the Battle of Verdun

Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...

of World War I.

Sources

• Latin America's Wars: The age of the professional soldier, 1900-2001. Robert L. Scheina. Page 97.