War between Peru and Ecuador 1941

Fabi · #1

I'm searching for more information on this little war in English and German and also for fotos. Even though I found already a lot of pictures.
Thank you!

Billy · #2

I don't have much information about that conflict but it would be great if you could post some pictures of it. I do know that it was the first war in Latin America to involve dropping paratroops in. From what I've seen the Peruvians appear to have worn French Adrian helmets with their own seal on the front, and a light-coloured field uniform, unknown if khaki or light grey or light green, or how much is due to sun fading. The paratroops appear to have darker uniforms (?) and some sort of jump helmet. The Ecuadorans appear to have worn either Italian model 1933 helmets or the Portuguese helmet, I'm not sure. I don't know what the small-arms were for either but I think the Peruvians might have used a Mauser. Not sure. Beyond that I don't know much about the details of it, just the broad-brush outlines like the Wikipedia article which surprisingly gives a (not too detailed) order of battle for both sides and unsurprisingly a brief overview of the events.

Sean RR · #3

Billy, we need to talk. It looks like you've got some good info that I can convert into pictures. I'm way behind the curve on South American uniforms. Can you help?

Billy · #4

Sure, that would be great. I have just tried over the past few years to collect bits and pieces of information about any country's military from that era that I can find, including as much about South American ones as I can find. Sure, just PM me and I will see what I can do.

Adrian J English · #5

I have just completed a short book on this conflict, which I am hawking among publishers, with litle hope of acceptance, due to the obscure nature of this conflict. Another book which I did on the Chaco War, a much nore widely known subject, three years ago, has attracted only limited sales.

In reply to queries about the armaments of the respsctve armies, the following may be of interest:

The Peruvian Army was equipped with Mauser rifles, Hotchkiss Model 1914 and Czech ZB.53 heavy and Madsen light machine-guns, all in 7.65 mm calibre; Stokes-Brandt mortars, in 60 mm and 81 mm calibres; Schneider Model 1906 field and Model 1928 75 mm mountain guns, together with Schneider Model 1928 105 mm howitzers. There were also some 75 mm Krupp Model 1894 mountain and Model 1905 field guns, plus some more recently acquired 47 mm Skoda and 37 mm Osaka infantry and 20 mm Oerlikon and Madsen anti-aircraft guns. It also had South America’s only effective armoured force in the form of 24 Czech-built LTP tanks.

Like the Peruvians, the Ecuadorians were equipped with Mauser rifles and elderly Vickers-Maxim heavy, plus more modern Czech ZB.30 light machine-guns, all in 7.92 mm rather than the 7.65 mm calibre favoured by Peru and some 81 mm mortars. The artillery was equipped with a mixture of ancient Krupp and Vickers 75 mm field and mountain guns, without recoil mechanisms, its most recent equipment being two batteries of Rheinmetall Model 1910 and two of Skoda Model 1913 75mm mountain guns, plus a few M.13 Ansaldo 65mm mountain and Skoda M.1908 47 mm infantry guns, together with some 20mm Breda anti-aircraft pieces.

The Peruvian uniform was almost identical to that of the French Army in 1940 - khaki rather than horizon blue. There seem to be verfy few photographs of Ecuadorian troops of the period, even on the official Ecuadorian Army web-site, but I can confirm that they used the Italian 1933 pattern helmet and believe that the colour of their uniforms was a greyish green and close to that of the contemporary Italian Army.

Mimbrogno · #6

War between Peru & Equador in 1941?! I've never, ever heard anything about that! Then again, I've never heard anything at all about any South American war besides the Falklands conflict. That tells you something about our wonderful American education system... (if it's not famous, it's not important :roll: )

That had to be some conflict, with those weapons and in the terrain of that part of the world - I would love to hear more about it!

David Reasoner · #7

Thanks for posting, Adrian! I am hopeful that you find a publisher for your book. I purchased a copy of your recent book on the Chaco War, and am quite pleased with it. A very useful reference for anyone interested in wargaming the conflict.

Thanks again,

David