south and central american countries ww2

[tom2000d]

Hi all, I am currently looking information on the armed forces of the following south and central american countries from 1930's-1945 (army, navy and air force);Guatemala, El Salvador,Honduras,Nicaragua,Costa Rica, Panama - non US Canal forces,Dominican republic,Cuba,Haiti and Venezuela

As well as some other bits to fill;
Ecuador-navy and air force
Bolivia-air force
Mexico-navy and army

Any information would be great, but I am really looking for numbers on each i.e. US army 189,839 Personnel (1939) etc.
Kind regards, Tom.

[Loïc]

Hello

around half of them didn't have really conventional Armies as they were military emasculated by the United States occupation and more reduced to military police force than anything else

in this group you have the following states
Panama army disbanded one year after the independance, only police
Haïti army reduced to the 2650 men of the Gendarmerie after 1916 then renamed Garde d'Haïti
Nicaragua the National Guard had only 337 men in 1928

the Dominican Republic, army disbanded reduced to a National Guard then to a national police before a rebirth of a National Army in 1928
the spanish-speaking wikipedia

El número total del Ejército en 1937 fue de 3.839, incluyendo a la policía. En 1942 el Ejército tenía 3.500 hombres y la policía 900, armados con 2409 Mauser español de 7 mm, 1800 Krag Jorgensen M1898 - a la izquierda por los EE.UU. en 1924, 38 armas de Springfield, 13 morteros, 4 italianos Breda comprado aviones anti-ametralladoras, 27 ametralladoras Browning, 49 ametralladoras Thompson, 1765 pistolas y revólveres.
La Marina, 7 buques guardacostas
la Fuerza Aérea tenía un Curtis Wrigth modelo 1937, 634 bombas, un Bellanca de 1934, un entrenador de la flota de 1937 y cuatro aviones Piper Cubs. En un estudio realizado por dos expertos de EE.UU. presentado por el gobierno de Trujillo para inspeccionar el arsenal Dominicana, llegó a la conclusión de que 481 rifles Krag, Mauserslugs 547 y 38 fusiles Sprinfield no cumplían los requisitos para el uso militar de EE.UU.

Cuba had still his Rural Guard (so basically mainly a Gendarmerie) but had raised also some purely conventional artillery and infantry units, I think I have something somewhere, maybe Adrian English's book Armed Forces of Latin America , a "must" for Northern hemisphere aficionados of such topic

Costa Rica had in 1939 one infantry company and one artillery company, total 56 officers 278 men (334 soldiers)

Saludos & Regards
Loïc

[tom2000d]

Excellent information, thanks very much. Regards, Tom.

[Loïc]

from the Statesman's Yearbook
Cuba
-Army 895 officers 15 450 men
-Navy 130 officers 25 cadets 2508 men
-Air 116 men

Venezuela 10 000
Garde d'Haïti 4533
Honduras c.2000

from Adrian English
México
-Army 56 000
-Navy 1917 including Marines
Guatemala 5967 men in 1941

[tom2000d]

great stuff, thanks Loic