The Battle of Güepí was a military confrontation that occurred on March 26, 1933, during the
Colombia–Peru War.
Background
After the
Battle of Tarapacá
The Battle of Tarapacá occurred on 27 November 1879 during the Tarapacá Campaign of the War of the Pacific. Three Chilean columns of almost 3,900 soldiers attacked a numerically inferior Peruvian contingent of 3,046 troops at Tarapacá - 50 ...
, the Colombian high command considered it important to fulfill two specific objectives in the
Putumayo River
The Putumayo River or Içá River (, ) is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River, southwest of and parallel to the Japurá River.
Course
The Putumayo River forms part of Colombia's border with Ecuador, as well as most of the border with Per ...
: the occupation of Güepí in upper Putumayo, and Puerto Arturo in lower Putumayo. Güepí was chosen due to its weaker position and because its capture would allow the total domination of the upper Putumayo, ensuring the communications would continue with
Puerto Asís, and freeing
from threats from the west.
[
]
Battle
The events prior to the combat began at two in the morning on March 26, 1933, when the ships ''Cartagena and ''Santa Marta'' of the ''Putumayo'' Detachment of the Colombian Navy
The Colombian Navy, officially the Colombian National Navy (), also known as the ''"Armada Nacional"'' or just the ''"Armada"'' in Spanish, is the naval branch of the Military Forces of Colombia, military forces of Colombia.
The Navy is responsi ...
landed two contingents of the Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia () is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, and is the second largest army in the ...
on both flanks of Güepí in order to surround the fort where the Peruvian Army
The Peruvian Army (, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in s ...
was located. Around 9 in the morning of the same day the Colombian Air Force
The Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC, ) is the air force of the Republic of Colombia. The Colombian Aerospace Force is one of the three institutions of the Military Forces of Colombia charged, according to the 1991 Constitution, with working to exe ...
began the attack, supported by artillery fire from nearby Chavaco Island and from the gunboats ''Cartagena'' and ''Santa Marta'', such that by 9:50 the Colombian company that was advancing from the east occupied the ''Bolognesi'' entrenchment, when the Peruvian lieutenant Sillau abandoned it before his imminent fall.
While this was happening on land, in the water, the ship Cartagena advanced towards the mouth of the Güepí River, beating the fort that defended that position with its cannons. Towards 12 o'clock the Cartagena launched itself towards the riverbank to disembark a wave of soldiers in order to take the main nest of resistance; Downstream, the Santa Marta fulfilled a similar task.[
The Peruvian troops resisted throughout the assault, slowly giving up ground, however, seeing themselves completely outflanked and only the trail to the town of Cabo Pantoja as a single supply route, they withdrew in a disorderly manner, abandoning wounded, weapons, ammunition and food;][ Simultaneously the Peruvian aircraft withdrew towards Pantoja. Some Colombian platoons tried to follow the Peruvians in retreat, but when night fell and they did not know this territory, the pursuit was called off.
At the end of the day, the casualties were 16 dead and 13 wounded for the Colombian side, while for the Peruvian side there were 27 dead, 12 wounded and 13 prisoners, a number that would increase in the following days to 19, with 6 new prisoners; as well as the permanence of the Colombian troops in Güepí.
On March 28, the Peruvian air force conducted an attack on Güepí, which had no major impact. Towards the west, the ''Sinchi Roca'' boat that was transporting the 19 Peruvian prisoners was located, and the Peruvian forces attacked it, forcing it to run aground on the low shore; only the helmsman of the Colombian vessel perished and the Peruvians were released. After that, a series of skirmishes followed in the attempt of the Peruvians to recover Güepí. The main one of these took place on April 10, 1933, when a sergeant and two Peruvian soldiers died in a clash with the Colombian outposts.][
]
References
{{reflist
Battles involving Peru
Battles involving Colombia
History of the Department of Loreto