WesWorld

Monday, January 7, 1946
Constelación Aircraft Company's latest aircraft, the T3C "Condor Commander", entered production.

Wednesday, January 16, 1946
Several struggling ironworking companies in the Concepcion region have been reorganized and merged in order to avoid bankruptcy court, forming the Compañía de Acero del Pacífico (CAP). CAP has assumed control of several defunct manufacturing facilities in the Concepcion region and will restart operation in May or June of this year.

Friday, January 18, 1946
President Castro visited the ASMAR Talcahuano shipyards today to observe the construction of the Armada's two latest light cruisers, the Araucanía and Los Lagos, which were laid down earlier this month. The president also toured the new aircraft carrier Patria, which is expected to finish later this year. Naval Commander-in-Chief Almirante Germán Arrau has signalled that Patria will almost certainly serve as a replacement for the twenty-year old Mapuche, Chile's first aircraft carrier, which may be mothballed or sold as more modern ships reach the fleet.

Thursday, January 31, 1946
A University of Valparaiso spokesman announced that Swiss-American astronomer Fritz Zwicky has accepted a six-month grant to work at the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory in northern Chile, using the optical and radiotelescopes to find supernovae.

Monday, February 18, 1946
José Caro Rodríguez, the Archbishop of Santiago (1939-1958), is created Cardinal Priest of S. Maria della Scala by Pope Pius XII. He is the first Chilean cardinal.

Thursday, March 14, 1946
Surveying parties in Tierra del Fuego have determined the presence of unknown quantities of oil in certain regions of the archipelago. This is the first definitive discovery of oil within Chilean territorial boundaries. The extent of the reserve is unknown, but geologists at the University of Valparaiso speculated that the field will probably be somewhat limited in size.

Wednesday, March 20, 1946
Workers have begun the converting the last direct current power delivery systems in Chile. Unlike the rest of the country, which uses 50 or occasionally 60-cycle alternating current to deliver electricity to houses, the cities of Arica, Chillan, Osorno, and Tocopilla have continued to use direct current up to the present day. The modernization projects will switch all four cities over to 50-cycle AC current, which should increase safety and simplify power transmission requirements, allowing the cities to be tied into the national grid.

Wednesday, April 17, 1946
Construction crews completed work on the Pilmaiquén Hydroelectric Plant in the Arauco Province of Bio Bio. This hydroelectric plant will generate 39MW for the national grid.

Friday, April 26, 1946
The fifth annual Campeonato Nacional de Rodeo begins today in Rancagua. The event has quickly grown into Chile's largest rodeo and the second most popular sport in national consciousness. Fifty riders will compete with each other over the next three days before a crowd estimated to number over fifty thousand.

Monday, June 3, 1946
The new radio drama Patria Vieja begins broadcast tonight on Radio ADN Chile. The serial drama, written by Carlos Maldonaldo with assistance from playwright Ignacio Cassab, will follow the story of a Valparaiso family prior to and during the years of Chile's fight for independence.

Saturday, June 8, 1946
The landing craft carrier Disembarkment of Pisagua was completed today at the Astillero de Talcahuano. The new ship will join the Chilean Navy's amphibious warfare flotilla.

Wednesday, June 12, 1946
The Compañía de Acero del Pacífico in Concepcion has restarted ironworking operations under the new organizational structure announced in January. CAP's president Marco Saville indicated in a newspaper interview that the company's focus for the next year will be on increasing productivity and quality in order to rebuild customer confidence.

Monday, June 24, 1946
The Chilean government voted to create, for the first time, a national blood transfusion service to be administered under the Ministry of Health. The new organization, the first of its kind in South America, will be responsible for collecting, distributing, and administering blood for medical transfusions in a safe and efficient manner.

Thursday, July 18, 1946
The film El Diamante de Maharajá opens in Chile.

Friday, July 19, 1946
In a speech to the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Latin America Social Science Institute) on the campus of the University of Valparaiso, President Castro spoke at length about the social issues Chile faces, ranging from income inequality to ongoing environmental concerns, such as Santiago's smog problem. Castro's fifty-minute speech was recorded and re-broadcast by Radio ADN Chile. The president received positive remarks from leading figures such as former president Edmond Vizcarra, who, in a rare comment to the press, applauded the speech as "a first-class précis of how to address the social issues of our time while maintaining the Chilean ideals of responsible government and economic liberalism."

Thursday, July 25, 1946
The new light cruisers Araucanía and Los Lagos are launched at the ASMAR shipyard in Talcahuano.

Friday, August 30, 1946
In preparation for the coming spring, the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture issued an updated series of warnings regarding a potential increase in insects that could spoil fruit crops in the more northern regions of the country. To help address the problem, the Ministry of Agriculture predicts a two-fold increase in the use of DDT and other insecticides over the course of this coming season.

Monday, September 9, 1946
The Chilean Congress voted to approve the creation of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago (Santiago Museum of Contemporary Art). The museum, to open to the public next year, will likely be housed at the El Partenón in Quinta Normal Park, near the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts.

Wednesday, September 18, 1946
In his weekly comments to the press, President Castro expressed his optimism that the Peruvian military government under General Manuel Arturo Odría Amoretti would hold open and fair elections, as promised in the aftermath of the pronunciamiento last year. The Chilean government maintains a particularly reserved stance toward the Peruvian military government, as it ousted former prime minister Orlando Baylon, widely regarded in Chile as a principled and progressive leader. President Castro declined to speculate on whether Odría's Restoration Party is likely to gain victory in the promised elections, nor did he indicate what such a victory might mean for Chilean-Peruvian relations.

Friday, September 27, 1946
A press release from the office of Army chief-of-staff General del Ejercito Agustín Sommermeier confirmed that a German military sales mission would arrive in Chile later this year or early in 1947 to demonstrate technologies, including a new jet fighter and the Standardpanzer Panther I medium tank. The Ejercito is reportedly interested in the Panther as a possible vehicle to purchase for the nation's armoured forces, although no firm decision has been made. The Ejercito has reportedly also inquired with Britain for a Centurion Mk.II prototype in order to stage a run-off.

Monday, October 21, 1946
Citing failures of leadership and inter-branch cooperation, the Cosena (National Security Council) ordered a reorganization of duties, roles, and management of the nation's air-defense establishment. A report to Congress earlier this year cited the poor overall state of the Chilean air-defense network, with the exceptions of the Arica region (managed by the Air Force) and the region around Concepcion (which was organized by the Chilean Navy). While the Chilean Navy was an early and active user of early-warning dradis, the land-based air defense units have fallen significantly behind the regional standard.

Thursday, October 24, 1946
The University of Valparaiso's UDV-7, a 210-in reflecting telescope, is commissioned at Llano de Chajnantor Observatory.

Thursday, November 7, 1946
The Sociedad Industrial de San Fernando has reportedly opened a discussion with the firm of Mercedes Benz regarding the manufacture of the 'Unimog' farm vehicle. SISF has a high degree of experience with the local manufacture of vehicles, building construction equipment in concert with German manufacturer Maschinenfabrik Gebrüder Hamm AG. The 'Unimog', built with off-the-shelf parts, is designed for use primarily in the agricultural sector, where its high ground clearance and good ride over all terrain make it useful. Another potential user is the Chilean military, which is interested in evaluating the vehicle for light cargo-carrying roles.

Tuesday, November 12, 1946
The Belgian cruiser King Albert arrived at the port of Talcahuano today, beginning a three-day port call that marks the first time a Belgian naval ship has visited Chile. During a reception hosted aboard our heavy cruiser BACh Constitucion, the officers of the King Albert were presented with a set of decorative corvos (Chilean fighting knives).

Tuesday, December 10, 1946
The film El Diamante de Maharajá, which opened in July to good reviews, has gained the distinction of being the most popular film shown in Chile this year. The film has also been distributed to and proven popular in other South American cinemas.

Monday, January 7, 1946
Constelación Aircraft Company's latest aircraft, the T3C "Condor Commander", entered production.

Wednesday, January 16, 1946
Several struggling ironworking companies in the Concepcion region have been reorganized and merged in order to avoid bankruptcy court, forming the Compañía de Acero del Pacífico (CAP). CAP has assumed control of several defunct manufacturing facilities in the Concepcion region and will restart operation in May or June of this year.

Friday, January 18, 1946
President Castro visited the ASMAR Talcahuano shipyards today to observe the construction of the Armada's two latest light cruisers, the Araucanía and Los Lagos, which were laid down earlier this month. The president also toured the new aircraft carrier Patria, which is expected to finish later this year. Naval Commander-in-Chief Almirante Germán Arrau has signalled that Patria will almost certainly serve as a replacement for the twenty-year old Mapuche, Chile's first aircraft carrier, which may be mothballed or sold as more modern ships reach the fleet.

Thursday, January 31, 1946
A University of Valparaiso spokesman announced that Swiss-American astronomer Fritz Zwicky has accepted a six-month grant to work at the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory in northern Chile, using the optical and radiotelescopes to find supernovae.

Monday, February 18, 1946
José Caro Rodríguez, the Archbishop of Santiago (1939-1958), is created Cardinal Priest of S. Maria della Scala by Pope Pius XII. He is the first Chilean cardinal.

Thursday, March 14, 1946
Surveying parties in Tierra del Fuego have determined the presence of unknown quantities of oil in certain regions of the archipelago. This is the first definitive discovery of oil within Chilean territorial boundaries. The extent of the reserve is unknown, but geologists at the University of Valparaiso speculated that the field will probably be somewhat limited in size.

Wednesday, March 20, 1946
Workers have begun the converting the last direct current power delivery systems in Chile. Unlike the rest of the country, which uses 50 or occasionally 60-cycle alternating current to deliver electricity to houses, the cities of Arica, Chillan, Osorno, and Tocopilla have continued to use direct current up to the present day. The modernization projects will switch all four cities over to 50-cycle AC current, which should increase safety and simplify power transmission requirements, allowing the cities to be tied into the national grid.

Are there any specs for the T3C Condor Commander? (potential interested buyer)

I pulled this from the Encyclopedia of Wesworld Airliners thread - I don't have my more traditionally-formatted specs on me at the moment.

Quoted

Type: Constelación T3C Condor Commander (Super Two-Nine)
Classification: utility aircraft/ feederliner
Length: 12.85 m (42 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 15.85 m (52 ft)
Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 24 m² (258 ft²)
Empty weight: 2480 kg (5,467 pounds)
Max Takeoff weight: 3425 kg (7,551 pounds)
Powerplant: two 450hp inline engines
Maximum speed: 370 km/h (230 mph)
Cruising speed: 340 km/h (211 mph)
Max Range: 1500 km (932 miles)
Service ceiling: 7500 meters / 24,600 feet
Rate of climb: 6.7 m/s (22 ft/s)
Passengers: 6 seated two abreast or 9 seated three abreast
Crew: 2 flight crew
Cargo: baggage, the main cabin can be used to carry freight
Operators: none yet
Availability: to enter production during 1943/44.
Notes: a smaller variant of the Constelación Twin Condor, the prototype should fly during late 1942 or 1943. It is based on the Twin Condor but is smaller with retractable tricycle landing gear and is aimed at the utility market.

I kept forgetting to actually introduce it to service, and so I'm just saying development was protracted...

Cool, hadn't realised the design was that old!
Actually its a bit small for what I had in mind...

Quoted from "Hood"

Cool, hadn't realised the design was that old!
Actually its a bit small for what I had in mind...

What do you have in mind?

A modernised or improved T2C Royal Condor to replace the ones Aeravias Argentinas currently have.

Border between Bolivia and the Chilean-Bolivian Special Administrative Region - January, 1946
The Bolivian border police were unamused. "You want to cross the border? It is not possible, senors; it is not allowed without a permit!"

Paul Eitzen let Jaime talk. They'd spent three weeks trying to get a border-crossing permit in Sucre, but the permit could only be given by the mayor, who didn't seem all that interested in helping two dirty vagrants, particularly since they had no money to offer bribes.

Jaime gestured broadly with his hands. "But senor corporal, we cannot get a permit without money, and there are no jobs in Sucre. We heard that there are jobs in Potosi..."

"Of course there are no jobs," the coporal growled, smacking the buttstock of his Mauser rifle on the dusty road for emphasis. "Who would hire ragged scarecrows like you? Stop wasting my time - move along! If you want to cross the border, I need to see a permit!"

Paul grabbed Jaime's shoulder before he could take a swing at the soldier, and pulled him back. "Come on, Jaime, let's go."

"Swine," Jaime muttered under his breath. "Thinks a uniform makes him special. One day I had a uniform and look what it's won me..."

"It's not worth the fight," Paul said. They walked back down the road a ways and sat down. Paul looked back down the hill towards the border station and the bridge beyond, crossing the Pilcomayao river. On the other side was Chilean-occupied Bolivia. Hardly a promised land in the Biblical sense of things - but Jaime assured him things were different.

It had been ten months since Paul had seen his friends and what remained of his family, and he still simmered at the injustice of the entire situation.

"What do we do now?" Paul asked. "Go back to Sucre and keep trying to get a permit?"

Jaime shrugged. "What's the point? The mayor only gives permits to people who bribe him, and we can't get jobs to pay the bribe." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "Let's sneak across," Jaime finally said.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Tonight. We can wade across the river. The water's not that deep, and we can get to the Chilean side and walk to Potosi."

Paul rubbed his temples with grimy hands. "Will our food last until we arrive?"

"The same old question, and the same old answer," Jaime replied. "If we are careful, yes. If necessary, we can forage-"

"I'm not stealing," Paul snapped.

"It's foraging, not stealing," Jaime retorted. He sighed. "We're desperate and hungry men, Paul. Sometimes we don't have the luxury of right and wrong."

"And there, you and I disagree," Paul said. "God doesn't-"

"Yes, yes, you've said this before," Jaime interrupted. "You win, again. Let justice be done though the heavens fall."

Paul almost always won the arguments about morality; but Jaime was wearing him down on the topic of non-violence. It hadn't seemed to do anyone who practiced it much good, Jaime pointed out; it just left good people at the mercy of those who were more violent. Having seen that for himself, Paul could never give an answer that satisfied himself, let alone the older Bolivian ex-soldier.

"So, we cross the broder tonight, then?" Paul said.

"Let's do it," Jaime said.

Paul should re-read Leviticus 23:22-23.

Border between Bolivia and the Chilean-Bolivian Special Administrative Region - January, 1946
Paul and Jaime kept low, moving toward the river as dusk fell. Jaime led the way, still limping slightly on a leg that had never properly healed. Paul followed, bending low and keeping close to his friend.

They splashed into the shallows of the Rio Pilcomayo and then plunged into deeper water. The dry hot summer meant that the water level was low, and neither Paul nor Jaime lost their footing. The river, though, was wide and made of multiple channels - and the entire valley was wide and devoid of any cover whatsoever. Paul imagined Bolivian soldiers on the northern bank, scanning the river and aiming their Mauser rifles...

But there was nothing; no shouts telling them to stop, nor gunfire. They crossed a second, slightly shallower, channel of the river, and then a third that barely reached above their knees.

Jaime reached out a hand as Paul splashed out of the final obstacle. "That was easy, see?"

A flashlight snapped on and blinded Paul. "Don't move, senors! Hands where we can see them!"

Jaime swore, but there was nothing to be done: there was nowhere to run. Figures moved in the darkness beyond the handheld light - at least three men carrying guns, although the man with the light also had a huge dog that strained silently on his leash, eyes fixed on Paul and Jaime.

Paul put up his hands. "We are refugees from-"

"Shut up," the soldier with the dog ordered curtly. "Keep your hands visible."

Another soldier moved into the cone of light. He wore a different uniform from the Bolivian soldiers who had manned the border station - mottled colors rather than solid green, and a steel helmet. He patted Paul and Jaime down, quickly and efficiently. "No weapons, sergeant."

"Very well," the dog handler replied. "All right, senors, you may put down your hands - but no fast moves! What are your names?"

"Jaime Ugalde."

"Paul Eitzen."

The dog handler played the light over Paul's face. "Strange name. Where are you from?"

"I was from a Mennonite commune in Beni Province," Paul answered. "Before that, from Canada; but I was born in Russia. La Paz seized our land and-"

"An interesting tale, no doubt. Why are you crossing the border at night, senors? Are you coming here to make trouble?"

Jaime answered. "We are not bandits, sergeant. We are refugees fleeing mistreatment of the Bolivian government. I have an acquaintance with the Territoriales in Potosi who can certainly vouch for me. Paul here - his family is Mennonite, and we think they fled to Chile several months ago."

The flashlight stopped shining in their faces. "Very well. Senors, we must verify your stories. We will take you to our superior officer, who shall talk with you; in the morning we will decide what to do. Remain quiet and come along!"

Potosi, Chilean-Bolivian Special Administrative Region - February, 1946

"Paul Eitzen?" A Chilean Army officer sat down at the table, carrying a file folder bulging with papers. "I'm Teniente Vincente Paredes, of the military police."

"Good morning, senor," Paul replied nervously. Military police sounded like a frightening term to him.

Paredes left his file folder closed. "Your Castellano is excellent, senor; but do I understand it is not your native language?"

"No sir. I am a Mennonite and grew up speaking High German. But I learned to speak English, Castellano, and a bit of Quechua."

"Impressive," Paredes said. "Are you comfortable speaking to me in Castellano? If not, I can try to arrange for a translator before we speak further."

Paul considered. While the Chileans had a slightly different dialect of Spanish than what he had learned in Bolivia, it was similar enough. "I believe I should not have any problem, senor."

"Very well. Please let me know at any time if you do not understand me," Paredes said. "Now, please tell me about yourself. Why have you come to Chile?"

Paul spoke briefly about how his family had immigrated to Bolivia due to the government's promises of land and religious freedom - the founding of the colony in the Beni Department, and the death of his parents and fiancee, and finally the seizure of the commune's land by the Bolivian soldiers, and the trouble he got into as a result. Paredes took no notes, but listened carefully and asked many questions.

When Paul finally got to his escape from the camp with Jaime, Paredes' expression changed slightly, and he abruptly opened up his folder and started leafing through pages. "You say the man who visited in the camp declared he was for a Communist movement?" he asked carefully. "Do you remember his name?"

Paul tried to think back all those months ago. "Needa? No, that's not it... I think it might have been... Narra? I don't remember his first name, though."

Paredes produced a set of grainy photographs. "Is this the man?"

Paul squinted at the fuzzy picture. "I don't think so. I thought he was shorter, not as broad-shouldered."

"What about this?" Paredes asked, producing another photograph.

"No," Paul replied immediately.

"And this?"

Paul paused. "I think that might be him, sir."

Paredes nodded. "Hernando Narra. And you said a woman was accompanying him."

"Yes sir. I don't believe she talked, or gave her name, however."

Paredes produced another photograph. "Does this woman look familiar?"

"I..." Paul squinted. "Perhaps, sir. She did not wear her hair down, though. She looks very similar, but..."

Paredes put the photograph away. "Forgive me - that was a trick question. We do not have any photographs of Antonia Sanjines - for that is who I think you saw - but this photograph is of her younger sister. They are supposed to look very much alike."

Paul bit his lip, but then pressed forward and asked his question anyway. "I presume she is wanted for something?"

Paredes put the entire set of photographs back in his file. "We believe she is part of the leadership of the Communist Guerrilla Union of Bolivia, and has participated in several attacks... little more than crude banditry under a political banner, I feel - but her crimes and associates have drawn the notice of the Territoriales."

Paul sat in silence for a few moments. "So what happens now, sir?"

"Ah, yes. I need to speak now with your friend. I will then make my official recommendation to the post commander. At that point, we'll probably send you to Potosi; that is normal procedure for refugees fleeing Bolivia."

"You have enough people fleeing Bolivia that you have a 'normal procedure'?" Paul asked.

"Hardly a flood, but there are enough to be noteworthy," Paredes admitted. "Nearly a third have been Mennonites like yourself. The government - my government, that is - Santiago - is assisting them in settling near Lago General Carrera in Magellanes, and other places in the southern regions. If your family fled to Chile with the rest of your co-religionists, you'll probably find them there. I'll send a wire to the record office at Antofagasta to see if they were identified."

Paredes closed his folder again and tucked it back in his attache case. "Before I go, I should emphasize to you, Senor Eitzen, that at the present time you are not under arrest - but you should not take that as license for free movement. Security in the border region is an ongoing concern and we request your continued cooperation."

"I understand, senor," Paul replied.

Potosi, Chilean-Bolivian Special Administrative Region - April, 1946
"I'm sorry, Senor Eitzen," Lieutenant Paredes said, lowering the letter. "There's nothing more I can do. If we don't have any records of your family..."

"I understand, sir," Paul replied, sighing deeply. He'd hoped that the Chilean government's records would have helped lead him back to the remainder of the little Mennonite commune, but the Chilean records held no mention of them.

He left the military policeman's office with a heavy heart, feeling more alone in the world than he ever had before. Jaime, waiting for him in the hall outside, correctly gauged the look on his face. "What will you do now?" he asked.

"I don't know," Paul admitted. "I suppose I could try to go back to Canada, since I might still have some distant relatives there. Or perhaps go to one of the Mennonite communes down in the Magellanes Region. Perhaps the Chilean records are wrong and my uncle ended up there anyway... a faint hope." Jaime slowly nodded, and Paul sighed. "What about you, Jaime? I know you've been hanging around just because you're concerned about me."

"Hell, you carried me across half of Bolivia," Jaime said. "That was the least I can do for you. But if you must know, I'm going to join the Chilean Army. The Territoriales could use a few old sergeants."

Paul made up his mind all at once. "I'll go with you."

Jaime blinked, and Paul expected an argument. Instead, Jaime let the silence drag out a few moments. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Wednesday, April 17, 1946
Construction crews completed work on the Pilmaiquén Hydroelectric Plant in the Arauco Province of Bio Bio. This hydroelectric plant will generate 39MW for the national grid.

Friday, April 26, 1946
The fifth annual Campeonato Nacional de Rodeo begins today in Rancagua. The event has quickly grown into Chile's largest rodeo and the second most popular sport in national consciousness. Fifty riders will compete with each other over the next three days before a crowd estimated to number over fifty thousand.

Monday, June 3, 1946
The new radio drama Patria Vieja begins broadcast tonight on Radio ADN Chile. The serial drama, written by Carlos Maldonaldo with assistance from playwright Ignacio Cassab, will follow the story of a Valparaiso family prior to and during the years of Chile's fight for independence.

Saturday, June 8, 1946
The landing craft carrier Disembarkment of Pisagua was completed today at the Astillero de Talcahuano. The new ship will join the Chilean Navy's amphibious warfare flotilla.

Wednesday, June 12, 1946
The Compañía de Acero del Pacífico in Concepcion has restarted ironworking operations under the new organizational structure announced in January. CAP's president Marco Saville indicated in a newspaper interview that the company's focus for the next year will be on increasing productivity and quality in order to rebuild customer confidence.

Monday, June 24, 1946
The Chilean government voted to create, for the first time, a national blood transfusion service to be administered under the Ministry of Health. The new organization, the first of its kind in South America, will be responsible for collecting, distributing, and administering blood for medical transfusions in a safe and efficient manner.

Quoted

He'd hoped that the Chilean government's records would have helped lead him back to the remainder of the little Mennonite commune, but the Chilean records held no mention of them.

Bet he wished he had some access to the Internet to help his search. Hell, he might even find out in the records that he is a descendant of Cardinal Ximenez of Spain. After all, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Well, Google would've definitely been of help to him...

As an aside, part of the reason for this ongoing story is so I can showcase, at a more personal level, some of the cultural and sociological events that are happening in Chile during this period.

Araucania Region, Chile - August, 1946
In his abrupt decision to join the Chilean Army, Paul had not realized how much of a different culture he was entering. He did not find the training particularly hard, but there were a hundred other new things he had to learn. "Discipline!" the drill sergeant screamed every day. He was an old Prussian, a veteran of the Great War, who'd immigrated from Germany when jobs and food were scarce in the aftermath of the war. He reminisced about charging the British machine-guns and the carnage of the trench. "Discipline keeps you going, keeps you alive, helps you withstand any shock! Discipline keeps you together with your comrades on your right and on your left!"

The Chilean Army apparently really liked the Germans, and Paul earned points when the old sergeant learned he spoke Low German.

But the true shock came not from the discipline, but from the things Paul was expected to understand - such as trucks. Paul spent hours fumbling through the routine maintenance training that most of the other recruits had mastered before they ever came to the Army. His sergeant, perhaps showing pity for a fellow German-speaker, had snagged him after dinner one day and pointed to an old green Terrestre 675. "Get in, I'll teach you to drive it!"

And finally, there was the rifle. Paul had never touched one before, and struggled through learning the manual of arms while the shooting instructor screamed at them all. "This is a rifle, not a toy! And keep it out of the dust; it is not a shovel, either!" Paul at least avoided embarrassing himself, scoring in the top third of his training company for overall marksmanship. "There's hope for some of you yet!" the sergeant screamed.

In the final week, Paul was summoned to the commandant's office. "Recruit Eitzen, reporting as directed, sir!" The old sergeant stood next to the commandant's desk, his face unreadable.

"At ease, recruit," the commandant said, glancing at a packet. "You have been recommended for further training."

Paul felt a flash of heat under his collar. "Sir? Have I failed to perform according to...?"

"No, no," the commandant said. "It is not remedial training. The sergeant here feels that you have the skills to become an NCO. You're older than all the conscripts anyway. Another six weeks of training, and you can enter as a Cabo Primero, rather than Soldado Segundo..."

"Do you want it?" the sergeant asked.

Paul nodded - it was a rise in three full ranks to corporal. "Sir, yes sir."

"Excellent. At the end of the week, when the rest of the recruits graduate out, you'll remain for the NCO course."

Thursday, July 18, 1946
The film El Diamante de Maharajá opens in Chile.

Friday, July 19, 1946
In a speech to the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Latin America Social Science Institute) on the campus of the University of Valparaiso, President Castro spoke at length about the social issues Chile faces, ranging from income inequality to ongoing environmental concerns, such as Santiago's smog problem. Castro's fifty-minute speech was recorded and re-broadcast by Radio ADN Chile. The president received positive remarks from leading figures such as former president Edmond Vizcarra, who, in a rare comment to the press, applauded the speech as "a first-class précis of how to address the social issues of our time while maintaining the Chilean ideals of responsible government and economic liberalism."

Thursday, July 25, 1946
The new light cruisers Araucanía and Los Lagos are launched at the ASMAR shipyard in Talcahuano.

Friday, August 30, 1946
In preparation for the coming spring, the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture issued an updated series of warnings regarding a potential increase in insects that could spoil fruit crops in the more northern regions of the country. To help address the problem, the Ministry of Agriculture predicts a two-fold increase in the use of DDT and other insecticides over the course of this coming season.

Monday, September 9, 1946
The Chilean Congress voted to approve the creation of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago (Santiago Museum of Contemporary Art). The museum, to open to the public next year, will likely be housed at the El Partenón in Quinta Normal Park, near the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts.

Wednesday, September 18, 1946
In his weekly comments to the press, President Castro expressed his optimism that the Peruvian military government under General Manuel Arturo Odría Amoretti would hold open and fair elections, as promised in the aftermath of the pronunciamiento last year. The Chilean government maintains a particularly reserved stance toward the Peruvian military government, as it ousted former prime minister Orlando Baylon, widely regarded in Chile as a principled and progressive leader. President Castro declined to speculate on whether Odría's Restoration Party is likely to gain victory in the promised elections, nor did he indicate what such a victory might mean for Chilean-Peruvian relations.

Friday, September 27, 1946
A press release from the office of Army chief-of-staff General del Ejercito Agustín Sommermeier confirmed that a German military sales mission would arrive in Chile later this year or early in 1947 to demonstrate technologies, including a new jet fighter and the Standardpanzer Panther I medium tank. The Ejercito is reportedly interested in the Panther as a possible vehicle to purchase for the nation's armoured forces, although no firm decision has been made. The Ejercito has reportedly also inquired with Britain for a Centurion Mk.II prototype in order to stage a run-off.

Top Five Most Influential Chileans
Amongst notable Chilean personalities, some stand out as influencers of public opinion. As of 1946, these five people are among the most noteworthy in this field.

1. Tomás Farías (radio presenter)
As the lead presenter of the Radio ADN Chile's Evening News, Tomás Farías has the ear of an estimated four million Chileans on a daily basis. Born in Santiago in 1896, he served in the Chilean Army for five years as a telegraphist prior to entering civilian life. He worked a variety of jobs between 1922 and 1932, when he began working as a propagandist for Radio Antofagasta during the Andean War years. The experience caused him to write a series of pamphlets on the topic of integrity in presenting news. After Radio Antofagasta ended broadcasting in 1937, Farias was hired by its descendent, Radio ADN Chile, where he started working as a newsreader. In 1939, he was appointed as the lead presenter for the hour-long ADN Evening News, and gained popularity due to his soothing baritone voice, his calm presentation, and his subtle wry humour. Outside of the radio station he maintains a low profile and rarely voices his political views, but often notes on air that 'the way a story is presented can challenge or reinforce bias, and alter the way the listener thinks about the world.'

2. Edmond Vizcarra (former president)
The president of Chile between 1938 and 1944. Edmond Vizcarra was born in 1901 in Punta Arenas to mixed Basque and Atlantean parents, and attended the Chilean Naval Academy in Talcahuano to become one of the first Chilean naval aviators. During the Andean War, he was one of four Chilean ace pilots (with five kills), and lost his right eye to shrapnel in fighting near Antofagasta, sparking his use of his trademark eyepatch. After retiring from the Navy with the rank of Teniente Capitan, Vizcarra spent two years working as a huaso (Chilean cowboy) on a friend's horse ranch in southern Chile, but returned home to Punta Arenas, where he ran for the National Congress. He first came to public attention in 1937 when, in a fiery speech before Congress, he sparked a mass walkout of Conservative and Liberal congressmen in order to form the Partido Federalista de Chile (Chilean Federalist Party). Elected to the Presidency at the age of 37, Vizcarra was acknowledged as a political visionary, and was well-liked even after the end of his term in office. He was notably the first South American political leader to present a televised address. A writer in his free time, he published three books: Air War Over the Andes (1935), Carlos Condell, a Biography (1936), and Guardias Noches (1937), a science-fiction novel. His fourth book, another science fiction novel titled La Fuerza Expedicionaria, will enter publication in 1947. A well-known animal lover, during his tenure at La Moneda Vizcarra owned a cat named Esmeralda, a hunting gyrfalcon named Barnabas, several Caballo Chileo horses, and three white German Shepherds named Edna, Max, and Prussia.

3. José María Caro Rodríguez (Chilean cardinal)
Born in Los Valles in 1866, Rodríguez entered seminary in Santiago before travelling to Rome in 1887 to attend the Pontifical Collegio Pio-Latinoamericano and the Pontifical Gregorian University. After returning to Chile he served as the pastor of Mamiña and then as a professor of theology. In 1911, Rodríguez became a bishop, and in 1939, the Archbishop of La Serena and the Archbishop of Santiago. On February 18, 1946, Pope Pius XII created him as Cardinal Priest of S. Maria della Scala, making him the first Chilean member of the College of Cardinals. Due to Rodríguez's stature in the Catholic Church, Chileans hold him in great respect.

4. Gabriela Mistral (Chilean poet and Nobel prize winner)
Gabriela Mistral (the pseudonym of Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga) was born in 1889. She began working as an educator, first as a teacher's assistant before eventually rising to become director of several liceos (high schools) including Liceo #6, the most prestigious girls' school in Chile, which was located in Santiago. In 1925, she was named to represent Latin America at the Institute for Intellectual Cooperation of the League of Nations. Outside of her educational field, she is perhaps better-known as a poet, with numerous works and prizes to her name. Named as a Chilean consul in 1932, she currently lives in Naples. In 1945, she became the fifth woman (and the first Latin American) to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

5. Jorge Castro (sitting president)
Born in 1901 in Osorno as the second son of the town's mayor (alcalde), Jorge Castro was well-educated, eventually attending the University of Valparaiso, where he received a double degree in business and history. Immediately after his graduation, he travelled to Europe as a junior assistant for the first Chilean delegation to the League of Nations, where he was employed as a fact-finder and saw much of the devastation of the Great War. Returning to Osorno in 1922, he married Estefania Rita Torres and began working as a sales manager for his brother's business. Striking out on his own in 1924. Castro's first venture, a mail-order tool supplier, failed in 1925. He learned from his mistakes and started a more successful mail-order company, selling home appliances, furniture, and household hardware. In 1932 he stood for election to Congress but was defeated; nevertheless, he was appointed to represent Chile as one of three ambassadors to the League of Nations in 1933, during the critical Andean War years. During the aftermath of the Andean War, his company hit financial struggles and he sold it off in 1936, buying shares in a brewery in Chaitén. In 1936, he stood again for election to Congress, this time winning the Osorno seat for the Conservative Party. In 1937, frustrated by party leadership, he joined Edmond Vizcarra's walkout and creation of the Federalist Party. In 1939, Castro was appointed Chile's ambassador to the League of Nations, where he served until 1944. The retiring President Vizcarra asked Castro to run for his replacement as president, and Castro won the election. Although he is far less charismatic than his immediate predecessor, the mild-mannered Castro is highly regarded by Chileans.

Didn't Make the List
Communist poet and politician Pablo Neruda is one of the leading figures on the Chilean Left; a member of the opposition, he is currently the only member of the Chilean Communist Party to hold any elected office.

Francisco D'Alarch, former general and military governor (Intendent of Potosi) of the occupied Bolivian territory, remains one of the leading voices on the Chilean Far Right.

... so it looks like current president Castro would need to take care of 4 people before he can become the most influential Chilean...

If the list was scientific, then yes... :)