Battle of Cañada Strongest
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Cañada Strongest was a battle fought from May 10 to 25 in 1934 between the Bolivia
n and Paraguay
an armies during the Chaco War
. The engagement is considered the greatest victory of the Bolivian army during the war, and actually took place some 60 km southwest of Cañada Strongest, near a dried river-bed called Cañada Esperanza. The battle originited from a Paraguayan iniciative to outflank and eventually conquer Fort Ballivian, a large stronghold considered to be the keystone of Bolivian defenses. Paraguayans begun to open a new trail in the dry subtropical forests of the Chaco but were discovered by the Bolivian aerial reconnaissance. The Paraguayans troops, unaware of having been discovered, were encircled by Bolivians troops who had waited for a large number of Paraguayans soldiers to enter the pathway. A 250-men strong Paraguayan detachment sent in to monitor the Bolivian movements was also surrounded and eventually captured on May 25 along Lóbrego path, a route between the first Paraguayan lines and Cañada Esperanza. The Bolivian army caught 1,500 prisoners and a good amount of weaponry, trucks and supplies, while almost 400 Paraguayan soldiers were killed. A whole Paraguayan division, however, managed to slip away along with some scattered units.
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an 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...
. The engagement is considered the greatest victory of the Bolivian army during the war, and actually took place some 60 km southwest of Cañada Strongest, near a dried river-bed called Cañada Esperanza. The battle originited from a Paraguayan iniciative to outflank and eventually conquer Fort Ballivian, a large stronghold considered to be the keystone of Bolivian defenses. Paraguayans begun to open a new trail in the dry subtropical forests of the Chaco but were discovered by the Bolivian aerial reconnaissance. The Paraguayans troops, unaware of having been discovered, were encircled by Bolivians troops who had waited for a large number of Paraguayans soldiers to enter the pathway. A 250-men strong Paraguayan detachment sent in to monitor the Bolivian movements was also surrounded and eventually captured on May 25 along Lóbrego path, a route between the first Paraguayan lines and Cañada Esperanza. The Bolivian army caught 1,500 prisoners and a good amount of weaponry, trucks and supplies, while almost 400 Paraguayan soldiers were killed. A whole Paraguayan division, however, managed to slip away along with some scattered units.
Sources
- Farcau, Bruce W. (1996). The Chaco War: Bolivia and Paraguay, 1932-1935. Greenwood Publishing Group, pp. 177-182. ISBN 0275952185
- Latin America's Wars: The age of the professional soldier, 1900-2001. Robert L. Scheina. Page 98.