Colombia–Peru War

Colombia–Peru War
Part of the Colombian–Peruvian territorial dispute
Guerra peru1 1932 d.jpg
Colombian Army on manoeuvres during the conflict.
Date1 September 1932 – 24 May 1933
(8 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Result

Resolved by the League of Nations:

Territorial
changes
Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
 Peru  Colombia
Commanders and leaders
Peru Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro
Peru Oscar R. Benavides
Colombia Enrique Olaya Herrera
Colombia Alfredo Vásquez
Units involved

V Division:

  • 17th Mixed Infantry Regiment
  • 19th Mixed Infantry Regiment
  • 21st Artillery Batallion
  • 23rd Artillery Batallion
  • 25th Artillery Batallion
  • 27th Artillery Batallion
  • 1 sapper sector
III Military Division
Strength
17,500+ troops (1932)
2 gunboats
3 transport ships
4 auxiliary launches
9 seaplanes
6,000+ troops (1932)
7 gunboats
3 transport ships
14 aircraft
Casualties and losses
60 combat casualties approx.
150-250 (mostly from jungle diseases)
60 combat casualties approx.
140-200 (mostly from jungle diseases)

The Colombia–Peru War, also called the Leticia War, was a short-lived armed conflict between Colombia and Peru over territory in the Amazon rainforest that lasted from September 1, 1932 to May 24, 1933. In the end, an agreement was reached to divide the disputed area between both countries.

Background

Civilian takeover

Peruvian protests in 1932 against ratification of the Salomón-Lozano Treaty
The flag of Peru flies over the port of Leticia after the takeover

The Colombia–Peru War was the result of dissatisfaction with the Salomón-Lozano Treaty and the imposition of heavy tariffs on sugar. On August 27, 1932, Peruvian civilians Oscar Ordoñez and Juan La Rosa Guevara, in the presence of Lieutenant Colonel Isauro Calderón, Lieutenant Commander Hernán Tudela y Lavalle, engineers Oscar H. Ordóñez de la Haza and Luis A. Arana, doctors Guillermo Ponce de León, Ignacio Morey Peña, Pedro del Águila Hidalgo and Manuel I. Morey created the National Patriotic Junta (Spanish: Junta Patriótica Nacional), known also as the Patriotic Junta of Loreto (Spanish: Junta Patriótica de Loreto). They obtained, through donations and charity from civilians and the military, the necessary weapons and resources to start the “recovery of the port”.

The group released an irredentist manifesto known as the Leticia Plan (Spanish: Plan de Leticia) denouncing the Salomón-Lozano Treaty. The "plan" would be carried out peacefully and force would only be used if Colombia authorities responded in a hostile manner. Civilians would be the only ones participating so as not to compromise the entire country, which led to Juan La Rosa Guevara renouncing his appointment as second lieutenant in order to participate as a civilian.

The takeover of Leticia, originally planned for September 15, 1932, was brought forward two weeks. The center of operations was the border city of Caballococha, whose inhabitants joined the Civilian Recovery Army, whose number was 48 people.

In the early hours of September 1, 1932, what is now known as the Leticia Incident took place after Leticia was seized with the support of the local population. As a result, Colombian authorities and police fled to nearby Brazil.

On 1 September 1932, President Luis Miguel Sánchez dispatched two regiments of the Peruvian Army to Leticia and Tarapacá; both settlements were in the Amazonas Department, now in southern Colombia. Those actions were then mostly ignored by the Colombian government.

Colombian patriotism

It was not until 17 September that the Colombian government took notice. The Peruvian forces, which were encamped on the banks of the Putumayo River, stopped several large trade ships from traveling to Leticia.

The result was an explosion of Colombian patriotism. Laureano Gómez, the head of the Senate minority, proclaimed, "Peace, peace, peace in inner Colombia; war, war, war on the border against our despicable enemy."

On 19 September, El Tiempo reported that it had received over 10,000 letters calling for war and control of Leticia. The same day, thousands of Colombian students marched through the streets of Bogotá chanting, "Sánchez Cerro will die and Colombia will defy!" Vásquez Cobo was declared the general of the Colombian Amazonian Navy, and 10 million dollars were approved by the Senate to fund his venture. Over 400 kg of gold were donated by the Colombian cities as a symbol of gratitude to the Huilan engineer César García Álvarez.

Hostilities

War Memorial in Tarapacá, Colombia. The plaque reads, "To the Heroes of the Colombian Air Force; who with true courage gave the best of themselves; flying with their noble aircraft over river and jungle. Declaring over our Amazonia with the sound of their motors the sovereignty of our country during the war with Peru."

Sánchez believed that Colombia had no chance of defending itself since it lacked roads in the Amazon and a proper navy due to financial hardships brought on by the Thousand Days War. It was not until December 1932 that General Alfredo Vásquez Cobo reached the mouth of the Amazon River with a fleet of old turn-of-the-century Colombian gun boats and new British destroyers that he acquired whilst in Europe. Within 90 days, Colombia organised a respectable military response to the Peruvian invasion. Herbert Boy and other German aviators of SCADTA, which later became Avianca, fitted their commercial planes for war as a temporary Colombian Air Force.

The first attack by the Colombian Navy was on Tarapacá. The city was chosen because Leticia was on the border with Brazil, and the Colombian Forces preferred to attack a softer target rather than the well-defended Peruvian positions in and around the city.

At the end of December 1932, the flotilla of ships acquired by Colombia arrived in the Amazon, but President Enrique Olaya Herrera did not authorize the use of these to recover Leticia, because he preserved the hope that a viable solution would be sought through diplomatic channels and avoid arriving. to the way of arms. For example, Brazil intervened by proposing settlement formulas and asked the Colombian government to park its boats in Manaus, while it was discussing with Peru

The misgivings of the military were not absent in the war. General Rojas claimed command of operations in Belem do Pará, placing Vásquez Cobo in the background. The troops from Colombia, according to the latter, he received the old general with indifference. Olaya had awarded him the Cross of Boyacá but it was not enough. However, it was not just a matter of pride or prepotency. Vásquez Cobo wanted to immediately attack Leticia without taking into account of the guidelines that Rojas communicated to him. Olaya insisted on the assault on Tarapacá with two communiqués of January 20 and 28, 1933 and named Vásquez Cobo Minister of War on commission to overcome difficulties and place it, with all authority, above the military in service18. Vasquez Cobo then accepted Olaya's plan and expressed it in a message dated 5 February, accepting his march through Putumayo.

On 14 February 1933, the Peruvian Air Force had attempted to bomb the Colombian Fleet, but most of the bombs hit off target.

The Peruvian forces in Leticia could not be forced to withdraw, but the events in Lima and the assassination of the Peruvian president changed the situation. The new Peruvian president ordered the undefeated Peruvian troops to leave Leticia. Part of Peru's Pacific fleet came through the Amazon River to engage in combat.

Rio de Janeiro Protocol

On the same day, Colombian President Enrique Olaya broke off all relations with Peru because of the aerial attack. He ordered an attack on Leticia, but it was repelled by Peruvian troops.

On 30 April 1933, Peruvian President Sánchez was shot dead; 15 days later, his successor, Óscar Benavides, met with the head of the Colombian Liberal Party, Alfonso López Pumarejo, to secure an agreement to turn Leticia over to a League of Nations commission.

Colombia and Peru met in Rio de Janeiro to sign the Rio de Janeiro Protocol in 1934. In the treaty, Peru stated, "We sincerely deplore the events that occurred starting September, 1932. Specifically those that damaged our relationship with Colombia." The Salomón-Lozano Treaty was also reaffirmed by the treaty.

See also


This page was last updated at 2022-09-17 10:47 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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