WesWorld

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The Chilean government has gifted a pie to all the ambassadors in Santiago.

Hmmm... the most suspicious piece of news of the year.

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Originally posted by Brockpaine
July 29
The Chilean government has gifted a pie to all the ambassadors in Santiago. The pies are twenty centimeters across, weight 0.7 kilograms, and come in a variety of flavors.

The German Ambassador tenders his thanks for the thougtfulness of the Chilean Government and applauds the innovative manner in which they have chosen to demonstrate for the world the skills of Chilean bakers and the quality and diversity of the Chilean fruit crop.

July 30
The Ferrocarril Magallanes, one of the world's most southerly railways, announced that it would begin railbus passenger service between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales in the next week. Freight service to the coal mines north of Puerto Natales will start sometime within the next month.

August 3
The light cruiser Concepción returned to Talcahuano today after conducting at-sea gunnery exercises. The Armada's spokesman said that the Concepción's trials were "quite comprehensive" and focused on anti-aircraft gunnery. The cruiser reportedly fired over twenty-five hundred rounds of main gun ammunition and fifteen hundred rounds of secondary antiaircraft ammunition over the week-long exercises.

August 9
The Hora más oscura Lido reopened on their traditional Valparaiso location for the first time following a major fire two years ago, which destroyed one of the great intellectual centers of tango dancing. The Hora más oscura Lido has been rebuilt over the past two years, although the studio remained open in several different temporary locations.

August 19

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Transcript of ADN Radio Chile, Interview during Political News Hour, August 19th, 1941

Host: "I have with me this evening retired Almirante Eduardo Moore, formerly the commander-in-chief of the Armada de Chile and one of the world's preeminent proponents of naval aviation. Since stepping down as naval commander-in-chief last year, he has lectured extensively at the Chilean Naval Academy and other allied naval academies around the world. Almirante Moore, welcome to the program."
EM (Almirante Eduardo Moore, Ret.): "Thank you, senor."
Host: "There's already been quite a bit of alarm in the papers this morning about the announcement of Peru buying their first aircraft carrier from Italy. What can you tell us about this?"
EM: "The Marina de Guerra del Peru has been looking for an aircraft carrier since the mid 1930s, so this really doesn't come as a surprise to anyone in the Armada. However, first financial issues and then the Peruvian Civil War - and the financial issues that caused - have delayed them for quite some time from actually acquiring a ship and putting it under their flag. I think you'll find that most of the, eh, hysterics have come from newspaper reporters who know the least about the Navy. Back when I was on the Cosena [1] I advised Congress regularly that this sort of event was, eh, almost inevitable."
Host: "So is this not something to be alarmed over?"
EM: "I'm not sure that 'alarmed' is the best word for it, but it's certainly not worth the histrionics we saw in this morning's newspapers. We taught them a bloody lesson at Tortugas Bay [2] and it stands that they would learn from it. From my perspective, if they actually get this ship into service, it will, eh, change the way we'd meet the Peruvians at sea in any theoretical future war, but it won't change the fundamental balance of power in the Southeast Pacific at all."
Host: "What can you tell me about the ship they're buying?"
EM: "It's currently the Italian Caboto, their training vessel. It's a decent ship all around, and we know the Italians operate around three dozen aircraft off her in regular service. She's a bit larger than our first carrier Mapuche, though about half the size of the Libertad."
Host: "You said a few moments ago that the Peruvian purchase won't change the balance of power in the region. Can you expand on that a bit more?"
EM: "Certainly, senor. Over the last ten years, the Armada's put no small amount of effort into developing a world-class naval aviation service. Even before we acquired the Mapuche, we sent Chilean officers to observe United States and Atlantean carrier operations, and pilots to train with their airgroups. Our efforts have spilled over to affect both the Argentine and Brazilian carrier forces as well - particularly the Brazilians, as we trained their first carrier group and deck crews. Peru has not yet done that same level of preparatory work. I'm fairly confident they've not got any clear idea how much a carrier force is going to cost them in the long term, as they're not yet putting in the same level of effort that Chile did when we were in the same situation. We've-"
Host: "So- oh, sorry, please continue."
EM: "Sorry. I was saying, Chile's not only bought carriers for operation, as the other South American navies have done, but we've built our own from the keel up, to our own designs. The only other nation in this hemisphere which can say that is the United States. We also have designed our own naval aircraft, and one of the aircraft we've designed is now in service in three navies beside our own - Atlantis, Germany, and Brazil - and the Argentine Navy recently optioned to buy it as well."
Host: "So what you're saying is that it will take them awhile to catch up to match our own level."
EM: "Absolutely. They will need to spend several years training pilots and deck crews, and getting senior officers who know how to use carrier aviation into positions where they can be effective. From what I've seen, the Peruvians are just hoping their aircraft carrier will be a magic crucifix that will protect them from the Chilean boogeyman. They can learn the trade just as we did, particularly if they have the Italians and Iberians mentoring them - but it will take them several years to reach basic proficiency - say 1944 or 1945 - and you can be assured that we won't be sitting idly by, waiting for them to overtake us."
Host: "Almirante Moore, thank you for your insights. It was a pleasure talking with you tonight."
EM: "You're welcome, senor."
Host: "This is ADN Radio Chile..."

August 22
Petrochile announced the opening of the thirty-centimeter pipeline running from Tarija in Chilean Bolivia to Antofagasta on the Pacific Ocean. The pipeline will carry natural gas from extraction facilities in Chilean Bolivia to a facility in Antofagasta which will use the Fischer–Tropsch process to convert natural gas to synthetic fuels. This facility, constructed with the input and investment of the German technology leaders, is the first of its kind in South America.

Notes
- Note [1]: Cosena = National Security Council.
- Note [2]: The Chilean and Atlantean carriers sank Huascar and the destroyer Pantera off Tortugas Bay on July 31st, 1937.

A most interesting and enlightening interview with Almirante Moore. Very well written.

Operating a ship that used to be a training carrier is probably a good first step to establishing experience, and could be used in service if required beforehand.

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Originally posted by Red Admiral
Operating a ship that used to be a training carrier is probably a good first step to establishing experience, and could be used in service if required beforehand.

The design of the ship itself is almost inconsequential to my analysis. Whether the ship is a sow's ear or the cat's pajamas, it's still crewed by men who are going to need to learn their jobs, survive their errors, learn from their mistakes, and move forward to teach others. Peru doesn't have those men yet, and while the AEGIS allies can help train them, they can't make them suddenly pop into being out of thin air.

From Chile's point of view, Peru is just a "Me-Too Joiner". Because Chile got battleships, Peru wanted some too. Because Chile got submarines, Peru did too. Because Chile got an aircraft carrier, Peru wanted one as well. While Peru's made a decent showing on the naval front, it's because they've received quite a lot of help from the Germans, South Africans, Indians, etc.

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
The cruiser reportedly fired over twenty-five hundred rounds of main gun ammunition and fifteen hundred rounds of secondary antiaircraft ammunition over the week-long exercises.

Guess her rifles are pretty worn out now. A new set already ordered? ;o)

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Originally posted by HoOmAn

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
The cruiser reportedly fired over twenty-five hundred rounds of main gun ammunition and fifteen hundred rounds of secondary antiaircraft ammunition over the week-long exercises.

Guess her rifles are pretty worn out now. A new set already ordered? ;o)

Not really worn out, but there are spares on hand, yes. Barrel life on the current Chilean 130mm DP gun is about 1,800 rounds; Concepción only used 250 rounds per gun, so she'll still be fine for awhile yet. Barrel wear was evaluated following the exercise, however, as that was one of the things the Chileans wanted to test out (among others).

August 26
The Chilean 1st Armoured Battalion reported that they have completed conversion to the new M41 medium tank.

August 29
A number of documents were leaked to the press today discussing the fate of Colonel Alfredo Munoz, a former Bolivian warlord who was allegedly captured by Chilean paratroopers in 1937. The documents consist of several letters provided to the Chilean congress from the Ejercito, explaining that Munoz was turned over to Bolivian government authorities on May 7th, 1938, but several weeks afterward, he escaped with the assistance of outside conspirators, who staged a successful prison-break, killing three Bolivian Army soldiers in the process. The Bolivian Police reportedly arrested Munoz and two other men for minor offenses in July, but released them after they paid a fine, before the Police discovered who they were. According to the documents, Munoz fled Bolivia in August 1938.

September 3
The Ferrocarril Magallanes (Magellanes Railway) initiated full service between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales, delivering a train-load of coal to a merchant ship waiting at Punta Arenas.

September 8
The ENAER Zafiro, designed in conjunction with the German firm of Bücker Flugzeugbau, made its first flight today. The Zafiro shares a strong similarity to Bücker's earlier Bü-181 "Bestmann". The Chilean Air Force is reportedly "extremely interested" in the design, and signed a letter of intent to purchase a number of Zafiros, presuming the successful completion of development and flight testing.

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[SIZE=4]ENAER Zafiro[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]General characteristics[/SIZE]
Crew: 1
Capacity: 2 passengers
Length: 7.80 m (25 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 10.60 m (34 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 13.6 m² (146 sq ft)
Max takeoff weight: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Hirth HM 506 6 cylinder air cooled inverted inline engine, 160 hp (119.3 kW)

[SIZE=3]Performance[/SIZE]
Maximum speed: 264 km/h (143 knots, 164 mph)
Cruise speed: 235 km/h (127 knots, 146 mph) (econ cruise)
Stall speed: 85 km/h (46 knots, 53 mph)
Range: 942 km (509 nmi, 585 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.3 m/s (1,050 ft/min)

[SIZE=3]Development[/SIZE]
- December 1940: Development project announced by ENAER and Bucker.
- September 1941: First flight.
- February 1942: Aircraft begins production.

September 10
The armed forces announced that they would be conducting military exercises in the region of Chiloe during the early to mid part of October.

September 17
In their final act before adjourning for the summer, Congress voted today to establish the Puyehue National Park in the Zona Sur region. The new park, dedicated to preserving the area's temperate rainforest, will measure 1,068 km², and becomes the eighth national park in Chile.

September 18
Chile celebrates their 131st Independence Day.

September 19
The Parada Militar took place today as part of the annual Army Day celebrations. Although this year's military parade saw the appearance of the new M41 medium tank, displayed by the 1st Tank Battalion of the Panzergrenadier Brigade, the entire celebration was smaller than in previous years.

September 23
The new musical Los albañiles by Ignacio Cassab opened today in Santiago to a packed crowd, including Presidente Vizcarra.

September 28
Constelación Aircraft announced today that their chief aircraft designer, Dr. Rodrigo Loyola, was engaged in the development of a small twin-engine utility aircraft, tentatively named the Super Two-Nine (twin engine, nine seats). This light aircraft is designed for both civil and military applications, and is expected to fly in late 1942 or 1943.

Quoted

In their final act before adjourning for the summer, Congress voted today to establish the Puyehue National Park in the Zona Sur region. The new park, dedicated to preserving the area's temperate rainforest, will measure 1,068 km², and becomes the eighth national park in Chile.

Yay! Of course, the tourists visiting the park need a reasonable amount of space to move around in as well as a clear view of the whole park, so...
*cuts down all the trees in the park*

Heh.

October 2
General del Aire Jeremías Guendalman, the commander-in-chief of the FACh, toured the ENAER plant in Santiago today to inspect the prototype ENAER Zafiro trainer. General Guendalman took the Zafiro for a half-hour test flight and pronounced it a very pleasant aircraft to fly, although he noted it was obviously a prototype and had a few improvements remaining. The general reiterated his hope that the development of the Zafiro would proceed swiftly to permit an air force order.

October 3
The short Aperitivo de Medianoche [1] begins playing in Chilean theaters before full-length movies.

October 8
The heavy cruiser Constitucion conducted a ceremony at the site of the Naval Battle of Angamos for the 62nd Anniversary of the battle. The heavy cruiser's crew, including three veterans of the victory, participated in a ceremony honoring the combatants, and laid a wreath at the scene of the battle.

October 18
ASMAR announced the completion of the Battle-class heavy destroyer Iquique.



- Note [1]: "The Midnight Snack", the second appearance of Tom and Jerry.

October 20
President Vizcarra appointed General de Division Mathias Aravena to replace General de Ejército Rodrigo Agosin as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army, following the end of General Agosin's term of service. General Aravena's term of service is noteworthy; he commanded Chilean forces in the Antofagasta region during the Andean War, and led his troops, outnumbered three to one, in a brilliant but tough campaign of maneuver warfare that resulted in the defeat and withdrawal of the Bolivian invaders. General Aravena's skill and leadership is highly regarded by the Chilean Army, and he is particularly popular among those veteran troops who served with him in the Antofagasta Campaign. Aravena is a noteworthy proponent of veteran affairs.

October 22
The armed forces announced that they have concluded their military exercises near Chiloe and associated areas.

[SIZE=4]Ejercicio Vegecio (Exercise Vegetius)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]Naval Aspect, October 11-15[/SIZE]

This section of the exercise placed the Blue Fleet, composed of the Fast Carrier Task Force, against the Red Fleet, composed of the cruisers and destroyers of the Battle Force. Libertad served as flagship of Blue Fleet while Magellanes served as flagship of Red Fleet. Red Fleet had land-based aircraft intended to offset Blue's use of an aircraft carrier.

Blue Fleet's mission was to eliminate Red Fleet, Red's base in Puerto Montt, and clear the way for amphibious landings on Chiloe. Red Fleet's task was to prevent this from occurring.

Blue Fleet was commanded by Contraalmirante Rodrigo Solovera, while Red Fleet was commanded by Contraalmirante Horatio Tilgher.

Action off Chacao Channel
Red and Blue Fleets parried off and on between the start of the exercise on October 11th and through the 13th. Stormy weather hindered both carrier-based and land-based air search, and Red Fleet sailed out onto the Pacific before returning to the Mar de Chiloé on the 13th. On the afternoon of the 13th, Libertad found a hole in the weather and launched an air strike against the Puerto Varas naval aerodrome. Umpires judged that the strike was only moderately successful, with four patrol planes "destroyed" on the ground. A dradis-equipped PBN Nomad operating from Puerto Varas tailed the raiders back to their parent ship and reported the Libertad's position. The Green Fleet's air commander elected to use his remaining land-based aircraft to launch a risk-prone nighttime strike mission, with four dradis-equipped Nomads and twelve ENAER Alicantos, all equipped with torpedoes. After a false start where two of the Nomads began an attack on the civilian liner Presidente, the attackers managed to find Blue Fleet. Three F4E Corsairs of the Libertad's night-fighter section, vectored in by dradis, managed to partially disrupt the attacking formation, and all aircraft eventually made solo attacks. Although the Nomads dropped parachute flares over Blue Fleet, the Alicantos had difficulty picking out targets, and at least half of them dropped their torpedoes on the destroyers of the screen. Although the umpires had difficulty determining the accuracy of the torpedo bombers, no hits were logged, although Libertad reported one torpedo crossing the ship's wake.

Following this attack, one of the land-based Alicantos failed to return to base. Dedicated search and rescue attempts took place the next morning even after a farmer found the wreckage of the aircraft. The aircraft was out of fuel, and the crew of three were not present in the aircraft, having apparently bailed out. None of the crewmen were ever found.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of Contraalmirante Solovera
The night attack by the Nomads and the Alicantos they guided in was an unexpected stroke that probably should have seen better success, given Blue Fleet's general state of mind at the time of the raid. Our response time, even after spotting the incoming raid with Type 200, was sluggish and depended almost entirely on the Corsario fighters of the Libertad's night fighter squadron, of which only three were overhead at the time of the attack.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of Contraalmirante Tilgher
The night torpedo attack depended entirely upon the leadership of the American built and AI-equipped PBN Nomads leading in the TB1Es. The lack of results from this attack should underscore the difficulties of these sorts of operations for pilots not trained for it.

Action in the Gulf of Corcovado
On the afternoon of the 14th, Contraalmirante Solovera detached the cruiser Constitucion and four destroyers, under the tactical command of Comodoro Nicolás Kerney, to sally into the Mar de Chiloé for raiding. The cruiser and her escorts detached late on the 14th, but were detected and reported by one of Red Fleet's submarines. Contraalmirante Tilgher, operating in the Mar de Chiloé with his four light cruisers, decided to use the opportunity to overwhelm the lone Constitucion and steamed south into the Gulf of Corcovado, planning to engage the Constitucion just prior to dawn, where he hoped he could close the heavy cruiser and engage it with decisive and overwhelming firepower. A thick fog came up before dawn, however, and hindered the operation of the Red Fleet cruisers, as only the flagship, Magellanes had dradis, which was not yet broken in. The Magellanes became distracted on at least two occasions by islands and on another occasion by a rainstorm.

Constitucion had similar difficulties, but despite her older dradis set she had a well-trained electronics watch who knew what they were looking for. This allowed Comodoro Kerney a slight edge when the two forces blundered into each other, and he took the opportunity to launch practice torpedoes from both the Constitucion and his four escorting destroyers. These torpedoes struck the leading Magellanes, and umpires ruled her dead in the water and out of the fight. As the Blue Fleet destroyers turned away to the south, Constitucion ran deeper into the Gulf of Corcovado, engaging the three remaining Red Fleet cruisers (Atacama, Picunches, and Antofagasta) in a running fight. With the loss of their flagship, the Red Fleet cruisers attacked with aggressiveness but an overall lack of cohesion. Capitan de Navio Enrique Colvin, the Red Fleet tactical commander during this period, was heavily criticized for failing to maintain effective control of his remaining cruisers. Constitucion, meanwhile, used the Red Fleet disorganization to her advantage, defeating the three remaining cruisers in detail. The Picunches was her first victim after a short and one-sided gunfight at 19,000 yards. Antofagasta, in the midst of rushing to her sistership's aid, encountered a second spread of torpedoes, and Constitucion then turned back south where she dueled Colvin's Atacama. Umpires ruled the Atacama disabled after only ten minutes.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of Contraalmirante Solovera
The results of the Constitucion's actions during this action of the exercise ought to be recognized as an example of the results available from the convergence of a spectacularly well-trained crew, competent and aggressive commanding officers, a powerful ship, and outstanding good fortune.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of Contraalmirante Tilgher
Comodoro Kerney, having gained the edge in the first few minutes of the action by knocking out the Magellanes, forced the rest of my squadron into a reactive rather than an active role. Despite their numerical superiority and aggressive response, the Red Fleet cruisers fought this action approximately two to five minutes behind Constitucion due to Kerney's masterful control of the tempo of battle. I feel this was the result of Red Squadron's defeat by inferior forces.

[SIZE=3]Ground Aspect, October 16-21[/SIZE]
This section of the exercise was intended to simulate a major operation to attack a large island base. Red Force was charged with holding the island of Chiloe for a week in anticipation of the arrival of a relief force. Blue Force, composed of naval, marine, and air units, was assigned the mission of reducing the island's garrison and encouraging the relief force (represented by a neutral umpire) to retire without landing the reinforcement troops.

Red Force had at their disposal three infantry battalions with supporting arms, as well as Air Force reserve aircraft based out of three airstrips on Chiloe. Air assets equated to approximately two fighter and two light bomber squadrons. Blue Force possessed all three of the Navy's carriers, the Air Force's III Brigada, two Amphibious DIMs (No.2 and No.5, the latter being motorized), two panzergrenadier battalions in Puerto Montt, and the Chilean Paratrooper Battalion. Red Force was commanded by Colonel Jaime Rosental, while Blue Force was jointly commanded by the Navy's Vicealmirante Germán Arrau and the Ejercito's Brigadier Peter Hansen.

Pre-Landing Attacks
The preceding all-naval stage of the exercise, terminating on October 15th, established decisive sea control by Blue Fleet in the waters around Chiloe. A map exercise was run by the Fuerza Aerea and the Ejercito, which established Red and Blue positions at the start of the main field maneuvers. Blue Force, with land-based aircover, began extending their patrols over Chiloe and the neighboring Mar de Chiloé. On the morning of the 16th, the land-based airpower was increased by the addition of the Blue carrier air groups, which launched heavy raids on the Red airfields on Chiloe. This was in anticipation of landings to be held on the 16th, but stormy weather in the region resulted in the delay of the landings.

Quellon Landing
Colonel Rosental of Red Force anticipated Blue Force landings at one of three places. Ancud at the north end of the island was seen as the best place to attack, as the Chilean panzergrenadiers on the mainland could be quickly ferried across the Chacao Channel to serve as reinforcements. Quellon, on the south end of the island, offered sheltered bays and moderately good landing sites. Castro, on the eastern coast on the Mar de Chiloé, offered one of the best ports. Rosental placed one battalion in each town, but felt the most likely assault would come at Castro or Ancud. Blue Force, under the advice of Vicealmirante Arrau, elected to land at Quellon as they felt it was less likely to be defended heavily, even though it was furthest from the main action..

The landing began before dawn of the 17th, with DIM No. 5 spearheading the assault. This unit had both light amphibious gun carriers and Tortuga amphibious trucks, which allowed the Cossacks to land in a compact force, advancing directly across the beach and into the town of Quellon itself. Within hours of the first landing, the Marines of both No.5 and the follow-on No.2 DIM swept aside the battalion defending Quellon, and advanced quickly along the main road to the north. The advanced guard of No.5 DIM reached Chonchi, just south of Castro, shortly before dusk, where they encountered hasty defenses set up by the battalion defending Castro.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of Colonel Rosental
I feel that if the precise dispositions of the Red ground forces had been better known prior to the selection of a landing zone, it probably would have weighed against a landing at Quellon. A landing at Ancud would have allowed Blue Force very rapid reinforcement from the mainland. A landing at Castro, which was never even discussed in planning, would have divided the Red Forces from the very start of the exercise and may have split my defending Red Forces in two.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of General Hansen
The Cossacks' use of the amphibious Tortugas was perhaps the greatest surprise of this exercise. Even though I served as the overall ground forces commander, I was surprised at how quickly Major Ramos [CO of No.5 DIM] led his battalion forward. Eight hours from H-hour, Ramos reported that his battalion was on the outskirts of Chonchi, sixty kilometers north of the landing beach. If such a maneuver were carried out in wartime, the speed and shock value of the advance could potentially be decisive.

Castro Standoff
Despite the rapid advance on the 17th, the 18th was relatively uneventful. The Marines of the No.2 DIM consolidated their beachhead at Quellon while No.5 faced off against the defenders of Castro. A number of feints back and forth resulted in a stalemate about seven kilometers south of Castro, where rough terrain to the west restricted the opponents to a narrow front. The Blue Fleet amphibious ships, having unloaded most of their cargo, sailed to Puerto Montt to pick up reinforcements.

On the morning of the 19th, with the Red Force defense south of Castro holding tight, General Hansen undertook a radical flanking maneuver, using the amphibious Tortuga trucks to move the No.5 DIM across Castro Bay to the Rilan Peninsula; the troops of No.5 then broke out to the north, bypassing the town of Castro altogether. In the process they seized the small port of Dalcahue, where their seaborne reinforcements slowly started coming ashore on the morning of the 20th.

Completion
After bypassing the defenses at Castro, the umpires and the commanders of Red Force determined that the anticipated Red Force reinforcements would not be able to successfully land on Chiloe following the developments on October 20th. The exercise continued through the 20th into the morning of the 21st, with Blue Force focused on eliminating resistance around Castro and trapping the remaining Red Force battalion at Ancud.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of Colonel Rosental
The tactical and strategic maneuverability of the Blue Force troops made it difficult for the Red Force troops to maintain a coherent defense. Even in the scope of an exercise, the fluid advance of the Blue troops had a very visible impact on the morale of the more static Red infantry.

Quoted

Quote from the After-Action Report of General Hansen
The quantity of supplies required for this attenuated campaign-in-miniature are even higher than anticipated. The Chilean Navy was able to provide only a modest quantity of shipping for this exercise, and while this may rise in wartime by bringing in civilian-owned cargo ships, current shipping remains insufficient to support long-term or large-scale over-the-beach operations. Had any of the landing ships, particularly Valdivia, been lost at sea, the results of the exercise would have been in doubt. Had the combat portion of the exercise continued for three more days, then landing force would have faced acute and paralyzing supply shortages. The Marine DIMs occupy a lighter supply footprint than infantry or panzergrenadiers, but lack the supporting arms and tail for sustained operations.

An interesting set of inter-related exercises. Even the brief summaries provided are illuminating and thought provoking.

Thank you.

I liked the color-coded 'thought bubbles' for the respective commanders. Interesting to see how both sides can come to different conclusions from the same events.

October 24
A Chilean Army spokesmen announced to the press early this morning that the Bolivian Army was conducting a major sweep for members of the de la Vega drug gang in the Bolivian province of Cochabamba. The spokesman issued the following statement: "The Bolivian Army commanders have made it clear to us that their activities across the border are in no way intended to challenge the Treaty of Bogota, and are underway as an internal security measure to control the violent drug trade which has grown up in the region. The Chilean Army, Carabiners, and Air Force are cooperating with the Bolivian armed forces, providing intelligence, aerial reconnaissance and logistics, and close air support where requested by the Bolivian government."

A Bolivian Army spokesman, speaking later in the day from La Paz, commented "The Chileans have overemphasized their own participation."

The Chilean Air Force reported that II Brigada's 1st Fighter Regiment had flown thirty-eight sorties, while the 303rd Reconnaissance Squadron had flown nineteen, and the 2nd Transport Regiment logged twenty-three sorties. All other Chilean Air Force units in the region flew a combined eight sorties.

October 25
According to sources in La Paz, the Bolivian Army has completed their major sweep against the de la Vega drug gang, arresting approximately eight hundred of the gang's armed members and leaders, and seizing twenty-one drug plantations in the Cochabamba province. While de la Vega himself appears to have eluded arrest, upwards of ninety percent of the gang's senior leadership appears to be in Bolivian government custody. Several of the gang's leaders were also reportedly killed when they fled in a Ju52 trimotor. The aircraft was intercepted by a roving Chilean air patrol led by Eliodoro Frias, who ordered the plane to return to the airport, but was fired on by onboard small arms. After repeated attempts to force the plane to return to the airstrip, Frias shot the plane down. Investigations by Bolivian police suggested that the aircraft was carrying de la Vega's right hand man, along with much of the gang's reserves of cash and drugs.

October 29
Petrochile's new Fischer-Tropsch facility in Antofagasta began trials operations, converting natural gas into synthetic fuel. Initial operations will produce a hundred kiloliters per week on a test basis, although Petrochile hopes to increase output substantially in the coming years.