THE CHACO WAR: Bolivia v Paraguay 1932-35

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The Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay is one of the 20th century's least known conflicts.

Occurring in isolation and involving none of the major powers or any of the contemporary political 'isms', it attracted little external attention, even whilst it was in progress and history quickly forgot it. It was however the first war to be fought in a jungle setting with the full range of contemporary military technology and embodied both elements of the First World War and pointed lessons for the Second.

Involving almost 400,000 men, of whom over 90,000 died, and costing something in excess of $500 million at contemporary values, it was much more than a mere skirmish. It showed a unique example of a conflict between two relatively small and poor countries, sustained for three years, with minimal external support.

Whilst the international press covered it sporadically, the conflict passed largely unnoticed outside the belligerents and their immediate neighbors being overshadowed by the Great Depression and the rise of Fascism, Nazism and Japanese militarism. Numerous b/w and color photos & maps throughout.