The Battle of Cañada Strongest was a battle fought from May 10–25, 1934, between the
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
n and
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
an armies during the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõ[Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...](_blank)
.
Paraguayan forces began to open a new trail in the dry subtropical forests of the Chaco but were discovered by Bolivian aerial reconnaissance. The Paraguayan troops, unaware of having been discovered, were encircled by Bolivian forces who had sneaked up on the path and were waiting for a substantial number of Paraguayan troops to enter the pathway before they ambushed them. A 250-man Paraguayan detachment sent in to monitor the Bolivian movements was also surrounded and eventually captured on May 25 along Lóbrego Path, a route between the first Paraguayan lines and Cañada Esperanza.
The Bolivian army took 1,500 prisoners and a good amount of weaponry, trucks and supplies, while almost 400 Paraguayan soldiers were killed. An entire Paraguayan division, however, managed to slip away, along with some scattered units.
Sources
*Farcau, Bruce W. (1996): ''The Chaco War: Bolivia and Paraguay, 1932-1935'', Greenwood Publishing Group, pp. 177–182.
*Robert L. Schein. (2003): ''Latin America's Wars: The age of the professional soldier, 1900-2001'', p. 98.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Canada Strongest
Canada Strongest
Canada Strongest
1934 in Paraguay
1934 in Bolivia
May 1934 events