The Chaco War 1932-1935

The Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay was the last high-casualty war fought in the Americas. Since Bolivia had been defeated in the War of the Pacific, losing its entire Pacific coastal territory to Chile, the country sought to overcome its landlocked status by accessing the Atlantic through the Rio de La Plata river system. In order to achieve this objective, sovereignty of the desolate Gran Chaco needed to be settled. Bolivia and Paraguay both claimed the Gran Chaco since about 1825. Fueling the dispute was a belief that there were vast oil deposits under the Gran Chaco.

As Bolivian soldiers and civilians penetrated into the Gran Chaco, armed clashes occurred with Paraguayans already inhabiting the region. In 1928, the armed forces of the two countries clashed. War was temporarily averted while a Pan-American conference attempted, unsuccessfully, to settle the dispute through arbitration. Skirmishing continued until, on June 15, 1932, the Bolivian army attacked several Paraguayan outposts in the Chaco, capturing the strategically significant fort Boqueron.

Bolivia seemed to have overwhelming advantages over Paraguay: it had three-times the population, a well-trained army led by a German general and an ample supply of modern arms purchased by loans from American banks. Paraguay quickly came to regard the war as matter of survival and began a national mobilization comparable to that of the War of the Triple Alliance. Both states rapidly reinforced their forces in the Chaco. In September 1932, the Paraguayans launched an offensive which recaptured Boqueron and they managed a slow advance, with significant casualties on both sides, up to nearly the end of December.

The Bolivians counter-attacked on December 27th and for much of 1933, Paraguay remained on the defensive while the Bolivia depleted its forces in unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the defenders. Paraguay formally declared war on Bolivia on May 10th. Nanawa was the main objective of much of the fighting and Bolivians failed in numerous attempts to capture it. Paraguay launched an offensive on October 23rd against the weakened Bolivian forces which made impressive gains in the following months. A brief truce ensued between December 19th and January 8, 1934.

When fighting resumed on January 9th, the Paraguayan army continued to advance toward the Bolivian post of Ballivaian, where from March to July the heaviest fighting of the war occurred. Ballivian fell on November 17th. Paraguay then continued to advance into indisputably Bolivian territory in January 1935. The Paraguayans seemed unstoppable but, in fact, they were reaching the limit of their ability.

After Bolivian counter-attacks in February and March put Paraguayan forces on the defensive, the Paraguayans managed one last advance. However, the capabilities of both countries had been exhausted and a truce was arranged on June 12, 1935. A peace treaty was arranged by the Chaco Peace Conference, which included Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, and the United States. It was signed in Buenos Aires on July 21, 1938. Paraguay gained clear title to most of the disputed region, but Bolivia was given a corridor to the Paraguay River and a port (Puerto Casado).

References

Bolivia - A Country Study; Clodfelter, 700-4; COW124; EB - Chaco War; Kohn, 101-2; Paraguay - A Country Study.

Category

Inter-State War

Region

South America

Belligerents

Bolivia, Paraguay

Dispute

Territory

Initiation Date

June 15, 1932

Termination Date

June 12, 1935

Duration

2 years, 11 months, 29 days
(1093 days)

Outcome

Negotiated Settlement
(Paraguayan victory)

Fatalities

Total: 92,700
Bolivia: 56,700
Paraguay: 36,000

Magnitude

5.0