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Bezig met laden... Armies of the War of the Pacific 1879-83: Chile, Peru & Bolivia (Men-at-Arms)door Gabriele Esposito
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The Pacific War was the climax of the decades-long Wars of Liberation, and is one of the most important conflicts in South American history. After winning their independence from Spain in 1825, Peru and Bolivia became separate nations - but over the following years repeated attempts to re-unite them were frustrated by the neighboring powers, particularly Chile. By the 1870s Chilean military superiority and expansionist policies exploded into full scale conflict. This book examines the troops, uniforms and equipment used by forces on all three sides of the conflict and traces the events of the war from the early naval blockades to the full-scale amphibious landings undertaken by the Chilean forces. The war ended in total victory for Chile, and that country's emergence thereafter as 'the Prussia of South America', while it cost Peru a lucrative province, and Bolivia its outlet to the Pacific coast. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)983.06164History and Geography South America ChileLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Forward to 1879. Chile had a more or less democratic government – by South American standards, at least – while both Peru and Bolivia were military dictatorships. (Bolivia had a particular brutal one under General Hilarión Daza Groselle). The southernmost province of Peru – Tarapacá – and the coastal province of Bolivia – Antofagasta – were mostly occupied by Chileans, who were busy mining mineral resources – mostly nitrates – in the Atacama Desert. Chile and Bolivia had signed a treaty defining the border and guaranteeing that Bolivia would not raise taxes on Chilean companies for 25 years. However, Bolivia and Peru had also signed a secret mutual defense treaty aimed at Chile. In 1878 Bolivia – in violation of the tax treaty with Chile – raised taxes on nitrate extraction by ten cents. The mining companies refused to pay, Bolivia threatened seizure, Chile landed a force in Antofagasta to defend the mines, Bolivia invoked the secret treaty with Peru, and Chile was at war with Peru and Bolivia.
Peru and Bolivia must have counted on the Atacama Desert as defense; it was impassable to land-based military forces. Naval actions dominated the early part of the war, with the Chileans hunting down the British-made Peruvian turret ship Huáscar. The Huáscar was able to run rampant for a while, bombarding Chilean positions and capturing Chilean merchant ships; after a long and bitter battle she was captured at the battle of Angamos and incorporated into the Chilean navy (she’s still on display as a museum ship, one of the few from the early ironclad era).Once free of the threat from Huáscar, Chile was able to use her superior navy to outflank the Peruvian and Bolivian forces, capturing Lima in 1881. The war dragged on for two more years as Peruvian guerillas retreated to the Andes, but eventually Tarapacá and Antofagasta were ceded to Chile (Chile agreed to build a railroad from La Paz to Antofagasta, and Bolivia was allowed free transit through the territory).
Like most Osprey books, this is primarily intended for military miniature modelers, with full color plates illustrating uniforms of the various armies (the Bolivian grenadier is particularly impressive). However, the coverage of the outbreak of the war, campaigns, and battles is also well done. Lots of illustrations and maps, and a bibliography. Recommended if you are in to this sort of thing. To this day, things are a little tense between Bolivia and Chile; they do not have diplomatic relations beyond the consular level. ( )