WesWorld

Summary

Thursday, January 4, 1945
Construction of the new Route 5 toll highway began today at a site just south of Santiago.

Monday, January 8, 1945 - Bolivia
President René Salinas's land reform law came into effect today despite worries from national conservatives that it would result in major disruptions to the nation's agricultural sector. The law results in the re-distribution of land away from large landowners to the lower class.

Friday, January 12, 1945
Jorge Castro was sworn in today at the La Moneda Palace in Santiago as the new President of Chile. The now-retired president Edmond Vizcarra declared that he intended to spend the next few months at his ranch near Punta Arenas, flying his private plane, tending to his horses, and writing a new novel.

Sunday, January 21, 1945
The visiting German squadron under Admiral Langsdorff departed Talcahuano today following a successful visit to the Chilean naval base.

Monday, January 22, 1945
The Pressed Steel Company, part of the British Neuffield Group, began manufacturing operations from a temporary new facility in southern Santiago. The firm will assemble vehicles for the South American market.

Wednesday, January 31, 1945
The Ejercito de Chile placed a confirmed order with Yugoslavian armaments manufacturers for the M41 anti-tank rocket launcher.

Monday, February 19, 1945
The Antarctic Research Consortium (ARC) announced that three individuals, including Chilean antarctic explorer Agusto Pinochet, would be remaining at the ARC base at the South Pole for the duration of the southern winter.

Friday, February 23, 1945
Rumors from Lima indicate that a coup has been initiated by the Peruvian military, following a period of rising criticisms about the current Galvez-led government. In a short press release provided late in the evening, President Castro indicated that Chilean military commanders in the Arica region had been informed and ordered to a higher state of alert as a precautionary measure, but did not anticipate any conflict. A LAN Chile Lockheed Constellation, flying from Panama to Santiago with a fuel stop in Lima, reportedly encountered a four-hour refueling delay before it was cleared to proceed. The President made no further comments about the rumored coup, noting that the scarcity of good information made it unclear what was actually occurring. Finally, any Chilean citizens visiting in Peru are encouraged to exercise caution in their travels, and contact the French or German embassies in Lima for assistance.

Tuesday, February 27, 1945
A platoon of the CBSAR Territorial Army patrolling the road into the CBSAR capital of Potosi beat off an attempted ambush by a small party of guerrillas. According to Chilean Army spokesman Mattias Santana, four guerrillas attempted to ambush a three-truck convoy returning a platoon of Special Territorial Forces back to their base in Potosi following a training exercise in the mountains. The guerrillas disabled the lead truck with grenades, minorly wounding the driver and five other men. The occupants of the other two trucks swiftly responded with rifle grenades and machine gun fire, killing one of the guerrillas. A pursuit on foot resulted in the capture of two more guerrillas, although the fourth, believed to be a woman, escaped when dusk fell.

Wednesday, February 28, 1945
Five days after a military coup that pushed the elected Galvez-Baylon government out of power in Peru, the Chilean government officially commented on the issue. Although officially condemning the military's dismissal of the democratic process, Santiago acknowledged that the Peruvian congress had largely ceased to function in the last few weeks before the coup. No information is available about President Galvez or Prime Minister Baylon, who are rumored to have been disposed of by the military plotters, or possibly fled the country.

Thursday, March 1, 1945
The Chilean Air Force officially confirmed that it had acquired a German Arado Ar234 jet aircraft, currently assigned to photo-reconnaissance duties. The plane, delivered to Chile as a demonstrator, was purchased rather than being shipped back to Europe. Reporters asked if the aircraft was responsible for last year's rumoured appearance of a "secret ENAER-built jet", and Air Force chief-of-staff General Benjamin Kreutzberger confirmed that the Arado was in fact the source of those rumors. It is currently believed to be the first and only jet-powered aircraft operating in South America, although Argentina and the South African Empire are expected to field jets in the very near future. When asked if the Chilean Air Force intends to acquire further jet aircraft, Kreutzberger stated "there is the future - we shall undoubtedly buy more when the time is right."

Monday, March 19, 1945
The new heavy cruiser Almirante Latorre completed today at the ASMAR shipyards in Talcahuano, with the shipyard officially handing the ship over to the Armada to begin sea trials. The first of her class of two, the Latorre carries powerful and fast-firing 7.5" guns designed and built by Canadian Vickers.

Monday, March 26, 1945
President Castro selected General del Ejercito Agustín Sommermeier to accede to the post of commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army. General Sommermeier will also fill one of the nine seats on the Cosena (National Security Council).

Friday, April 27, 1945
Fourth annual Campeonato Nacional de Rodeo opened this weekend in Rancagua, with sixty-four contestants and a sold-out stadium of forty-four thousand spectators. Presidente Jorge Castro and former president Edmond Vizcarra both attended the show as spectators, with the former president cheering on rider Luis Charro, a fellow native of Tierra del Fuego. It is the former president's first public appearance since leaving office in January.

Tuesday, May 8, 1945
The Chilean State Railways (Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado) indicated today that they would not be seeking to switch immediately from steam locomotives to the newer, 'more modern' diesel-electric engines, at least at the present time. Railway officials indicated the decision was due to the need to import diesel fuel from abroad, whereas inexpensive coal supplies could be acquired locally. The railroad's chief operating officer speculated that a switch to diesel-electric locomotives could eventually pay for itself due to easier operation and maintenance costs, but the cost savings on that count was currently insufficient to counterbalance other important factors. However, electric-only operation, particularly on the mainlines, shall continue.

Monday, May 14, 1945
The Nachipa shipping company (Naviera Chilena del Pacífico Ltd) officially took delivery of their new steamship Algarrobo today.

Friday, June 15, 1945
The newly-formed Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Latin America Social Science Institute) opened an office on the campus of the University of Valparaiso.

Monday, July 23, 1945
ENAER announced that apprentice aeronautical engineer Friedrich von Ahrens has been promoted to the rank of "Junior Engineer" prior to his upcoming work assignment in Europe. The young von Ahrens, the nephew of ENAER's chief aeronautical designer Alexander von Ahrens, has previously worked in various roles on the design of aircraft such as the ENAER Alicanto and the ENAER Zafiro. Following his promotion to Junior Engineer, von Ahrens will be travelling to Germany to serve as a technical observer and liaison at Focke-Wulf.

Thursday, August 16, 1945
Valdivia entrepreneur Elías Cárdenas, noted for his ownership of seafood-algae producer Compañía para la Producción y Exportación de Algas or PREXAL, has recently expanded his business holdings through his purchase of 35% stock holdings in the Sociedad Industrial de San Fernando, a construction machinery manufacturer in San Fernando.

Wednesday, September 26, 1945
Earlier this year, Bolivian President René Salinas's land reform law came into effect, redistributing land from large landowners into the hands of peasant farmers. The new law severely hurt large landowners, some of whom lost over 95% of their property without compensation.

Also hard-hit were the Mennonite colonies who had started settling in the Bolivian lowlands. These German-speaking farmers first came to Bolivia from Russia and North America in order to maintain their religious and cultural identity, being promised autonomy and exemption from mandatory military service. La Paz's broken promises have resulted in many Mennonite families in Bolivia taking advantage of an offer to settle in the Magellanes region of Chile. In the last six months, a new Mennonite colony on the shores of Lago General Carrera has already drawn two hundred immigrants driven out of Bolivia by the new Salinas administration.

Monday, October 1, 1945
Chilean Navy light cruiser Picunches was turned over to ASMAR shipyards today for a comprehensive refit, intended to completely modernize the vessel. Currently one of the oldest cruisers in the Chilean fleet, Picunches will receive a modernized air-defense armament as well as a new dradis radio-detection and fire-control suite.

In other naval news, the Armada announced plans for a new class of antiaircraft cruisers to replace the antiquated Astraea and Concepción classes. The first two ships in the class, to be named Araucanía and Los Lagos, will be laid down in January.

Friday, October 5, 1945
Valparaiso playwright Ignacio Cassab presided over the opening of his latest work, Marcoleta.

Tuesday, October 30, 1945
A mild earthquake occurred in the Antofagasta region of Chile, with an epicenter near the town of Diego de Almagro, north of Copiapo. No casualties have been reported and damage is believed to be minor.

Wednesday, November 7, 1945
Ground-breaking ceremonies were held today for a new natural gas fired power plant in Concepcion. Approximately half of the electricity to be produced by the plant is earmarked for the Aluchile aluminium smelter, which shall process raw bauxite imported from Brazil and Canada. The power plant shall complete in August 1947.

Thursday, November 15, 1945
Gabriela Mistral becomes the fifth woman (and the first Latin American) to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. She will receive the award in December 10th in Stockholm.

Thursday, December 6, 1945
Representatives of the Chilean Army departed for Altmärkische Kettenwerk to take delivery of the latest Aufklärungspanzer Luchs armoured vehicles, currently being delivered to the Ejercito. A hundred vehicles, to be designated the M46 Lince in Chilean service, have been ordered for the Army's use.

Thursday, January 4, 1945
Construction of the new Route 5 toll highway began today at a site just south of Santiago.

Monday, January 8, 1945 - Bolivia
President René Salinas's land reform law came into effect today despite worries from national conservatives that it would result in major disruptions to the nation's agricultural sector. The law results in the re-distribution of land away from large landowners to the lower class.

Friday, January 12, 1945
Jorge Castro was sworn in today at the La Moneda Palace in Santiago as the new President of Chile. The now-retired president Edmond Vizcarra declared that he intended to spend the next few months at his ranch near Punta Arenas, flying his private plane, tending to his horses, and writing a new novel.

Sunday, January 21, 1945
The visiting German squadron under Admiral Langsdorff departed Talcahuano today following a successful visit to the Chilean naval base.

Monday, January 22, 1945
The Pressed Steel Company, part of the British Neuffield Group, began manufacturing operations from a temporary new facility in southern Santiago. The firm will assemble vehicles for the South American market.

Wednesday, January 31, 1945
The Ejercito de Chile placed a confirmed order with Yugoslavian armaments manufacturers for the M41 anti-tank rocket launcher.

Monday, February 19, 1945
The Antarctic Research Consortium (ARC) announced that three individuals, including Chilean antarctic explorer Agusto Pinochet, would be remaining at the ARC base at the South Pole for the duration of the southern winter.

Friday, February 23, 1945
Rumors from Lima indicate that a coup has been initiated by the Peruvian military, following a period of rising criticisms about the current Galvez-led government. In a short press release provided late in the evening, President Castro indicated that Chilean military commanders in the Arica region had been informed and ordered to a higher state of alert as a precautionary measure, but did not anticipate any conflict. A LAN Chile Lockheed Constellation, flying from Panama to Santiago with a fuel stop in Lima, reportedly encountered a four-hour refueling delay before it was cleared to proceed. The President made no further comments about the rumored coup, noting that the scarcity of good information made it unclear what was actually occurring. Finally, any Chilean citizens visiting in Peru are encouraged to exercise caution in their travels, and contact the French or German embassies in Lima for assistance.

Tuesday, February 27, 1945
A platoon of the CBSAR Territorial Army patrolling the road into the CBSAR capital of Potosi beat off an attempted ambush by a small party of guerrillas. According to Chilean Army spokesman Mattias Santana, four guerrillas attempted to ambush a three-truck convoy returning a platoon of Special Territorial Forces back to their base in Potosi following a training exercise in the mountains. The guerrillas disabled the lead truck with grenades, minorly wounding the driver and five other men. The occupants of the other two trucks swiftly responded with rifle grenades and machine gun fire, killing one of the guerrillas. A pursuit on foot resulted in the capture of two more guerrillas, although the fourth, believed to be a woman, escaped when dusk fell.

Wednesday, February 28, 1945
Five days after a military coup that pushed the elected Galvez-Baylon government out of power in Peru, the Chilean government officially commented on the issue. Although officially condemning the military's dismissal of the democratic process, Santiago acknowledged that the Peruvian congress had largely ceased to function in the last few weeks before the coup. No information is available about President Galvez or Prime Minister Baylon, who are rumored to have been disposed of by the military plotters, or possibly fled the country.

Thursday, March 1, 1945
The Chilean Air Force officially confirmed that it had acquired a German Arado Ar234 jet aircraft, currently assigned to photo-reconnaissance duties. The plane, delivered to Chile as a demonstrator, was purchased rather than being shipped back to Europe. Reporters asked if the aircraft was responsible for last year's rumoured appearance of a "secret ENAER-built jet", and Air Force chief-of-staff General Benjamin Kreutzberger confirmed that the Arado was in fact the source of those rumors. It is currently believed to be the first and only jet-powered aircraft operating in South America, although Argentina and the South African Empire are expected to field jets in the very near future. When asked if the Chilean Air Force intends to acquire further jet aircraft, Kreutzberger stated "there is the future - we shall undoubtedly buy more when the time is right."

Monday, March 19, 1945
The new heavy cruiser Almirante Latorre completed today at the ASMAR shipyards in Talcahuano, with the shipyard officially handing the ship over to the Armada to begin sea trials. The first of her class of two, the Latorre carries powerful and fast-firing 7.5" guns designed and built by Canadian Vickers.

Monday, March 26, 1945
President Castro selected General del Ejercito Agustín Sommermeier to accede to the post of commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army. General Sommermeier will also fill one of the nine seats on the Cosena (National Security Council).

(And yes, it's very late - I'm posting catch-up news...)

I think you have some news double posted there Brock.

You mean actually double posted or are you comparing those two news bits Brock posted with the complete summary of 1945?

I always leave the first post and edit in all the news as it gets posted. It's intentional, so that if the thread gets to be multiple pages long, you can always read the entire year's worth of news by going to the very first post.

Beni Department, Bolivia - March 28
The Bolivian soldiers who came to confiscate the land were drunk - or well on their way to it - when they arrived at the commune. Paul Eitzen smelled them as the squad marched through the gate, following an officer mounted on a fine horse that he'd almost certainly stolen from the rancher four miles north, which was probably the same place the squad had gotten the alcohol.

"You will gather for an announcement!" the officer shouted.

Twenty-five Mennonites lived in the commune - the three families who had left Manitoba to lay the foundation for more to follow. The Stiles government had given them a patch of uncultivated rocky territory, and they'd spent five years turning it into profitable farmland. Paul knew better than anyone how hard the work had been. Sickness had winnowed down their numbers, and both of Paul's parents, as well as the girl he'd wished to marry, were buried in the cemetary next to the commune's tiny church.

"By order of the President," the officer read out, once the three families had gathered. "Landowners possessing tracts of land larger than one hundred acres are hereby notified that they are in violation of the Land Reform and Redistribution Law of 1944, which has come into effect on the 8th of January this year." The officer looked up. "Your so-called 'commune' is in violation of this law..."

Paul spoke up. "The government granted us this land!"

The officer glared at Paul. "And the government is taking it away again. It will be redistributed to poor peasants, not Norteamericanos like you."

"We'll appeal," Paul said.

The officer sneered. "Go ahead. In the meantime..." He waved his soldiers forward. One of them, alcohol heavy on his breath, gave Paul a shove and stuck the butt of his rifle between his ankles. Paul hadn't expected it, and stumbled sideways into another Bolivian soldier. Drunk, the man fell over and hit his head on the fence, knocking himself out.

"Making trouble, are you?" the officer shouted. "We won't have any of that. Arrest him!"

"He did nothing," one of the Mennonite women protested in Low German. "It was an accident..."

The soldier who had tripped Paul made a lewd remark which half of the settlers missed, being unable to speak Spanish. Another soldier started hitting Paul, continuing until he fell to the ground.

Other soldiers moved forward in a rush, shouting obscenities. Most of the settlers scattered. Old Jakob Eitzen, Paul's uncle, tried to call for calm, but his understanding of Spanish was mediocre; one of the soldiers bayonetted him in the shoulder and knocked him to the ground.

The soldiers raided the houses and took what they want. Fortunately there was no alcohol for them to find. One of them, frustrated that the Mennonite commune had so little worth taking, torched their tiny church.

"We'll return next week," the officer told Old Jakob, who'd propped himself up against a fencepost and applied pressure to his wound. "Have your people ready to move."

The soldiers bound Paul's hands. "Come on, boys," the officer said. "We'll see how much spirit this troublemaker shows after we take him back to Trinidad. The judge will decide what to do with him."

Paul's heart sank. Trinidad, the capital of Beni department, was a hundred miles away...

Friday, April 27, 1945
Fourth annual Campeonato Nacional de Rodeo opened this weekend in Rancagua, with sixty-four contestants and a sold-out stadium of forty-four thousand spectators. Presidente Jorge Castro and former president Edmond Vizcarra both attended the show as spectators, with the former president cheering on rider Luis Charro, a fellow native of Tierra del Fuego. It is the former president's first public appearance since leaving office in January.

Tuesday, May 8, 1945
The Chilean State Railways (Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado) indicated today that they would not be seeking to switch immediately from steam locomotives to the newer, 'more modern' diesel-electric engines, at least at the present time. Railway officials indicated the decision was due to the need to import diesel fuel from abroad, whereas inexpensive coal supplies could be acquired locally. The railroad's chief operating officer speculated that a switch to diesel-electric locomotives could eventually pay for itself due to easier operation and maintenance costs, but the cost savings on that count was currently insufficient to counterbalance other important factors. However, electric-only operation, particularly on the mainlines, shall continue.

Monday, May 14, 1945
The Nachipa shipping company (Naviera Chilena del Pacífico Ltd) officially took delivery of their new steamship Algarrobo today.

Friday, June 15, 1945
The newly-formed Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Latin America Social Science Institute) opened an office on the campus of the University of Valparaiso.

Trinidad, Beni Department, Bolivia - April 12, 1945
Paul Eitzen was not allowed to speak in his own defense; his trial lasted less than five minutes. "For the crime of fighting with a soldier engaged in his lawful duties," the military judge said solemnly, "Four months hard labor!"

For Paul, that meant a long ride in an antiquated Italian Fiat truck with choking dust and sweltering heat in plentiful supply. He and two dozen other prisoners were dumped unceremonially at the end of a freshly-cut dirt road that seemed to lead nowhere.

"We're building a camp here," a Bolivian Army officer announced. "You will clear all this space and build shelters."

Easier said than done. The work was hard, but not unusually so to Paul; he had often worked longer and harder days clearing the farmland for the commune. The hard part was that the Bolivian soldiers stole the prisoners' food, and every night they chained the prisoners to a tree outside, with no shelter from the rain or the hordes of insects. Most of them got sick; one of them was bitten by a snake and died.

"We build these huts," the older man next to Paul complained one day as they worked to cut down a massive tree. "We ought at least to be allowed to live in them until they get used!"

Paul wiped the sweat off his face. "It would make it too easy, Jaime."

"Ha, easy." Jaime spat on the ground. "I should never have come back to Bolivia."

"Where did you come from before?" Paul asked.

"Born in Cochabamba. Got captured by the Chileans forteen years ago, during the war," Jaime said. "Outside Antofagasta. Escaped back to the Army and got captured again at Nevado Sajama. After the war I lived for a few years in Occupied Territory, but came back when my brother died and left me his land. Stupid mistake."

"Why?"

Jaime snorted. "Got home just in time to nearly die in a giant earthquake. Then the government collapsed and the People's Communes took over half the country. So I fought them for a bit with the Army, and then came home just in time for that dog Salinas to take away my land."

"Is that how you got here?" Paul asked.

Jaime's face clouded up. "Don't want to talk about that. What about you, though? Aren't you some kind of funny religious nut from Poland or something?"

"Mennonite," Paul answered. "My family started in Prussia, then moved to Russia and then Canada. We left when the government said we couldn't teach German any more."

"Right. And you don't use evil technology like tractors and all that," Jaime said. He chopped a few more moments before the tree groaned and toppled to the ground. "Aren't Mennonites pacifist, too?"

"Yes," Paul replied.

Jaime laughed. "One of the guards said you were arrested for fighting with a soldier. I guess pacifism didn't work out well for you."

That was still a sore subject for Paul. "The soldiers were all drunk. One of them tripped me and I fell into a second one. He hit his head on a fencepost. I never struck him." Paul shrugged. "The officer in charge just wanted to make trouble for us, and had me arrested. Now I'm here, building this camp for the Bolivian Army."

Jaime hefted his axe and looked around. "Friend, this camp ain't for the Bolivian Army."

Monday, July 23, 1945
ENAER announced that apprentice aeronautical engineer Friedrich von Ahrens has been promoted to the rank of "Junior Engineer" prior to his upcoming work assignment in Europe. The young von Ahrens, the nephew of ENAER's chief aeronautical designer Alexander von Ahrens, has previously worked in various roles on the design of aircraft such as the ENAER Alicanto and the ENAER Zafiro. Following his promotion to Junior Engineer, von Ahrens will be travelling to Germany to serve as a technical observer and liaison at Focke-Wulf.

Thursday, August 16, 1945
Valdivia entrepreneur Elías Cárdenas, noted for his ownership of seafood-algae producer Compañía para la Producción y Exportación de Algas or PREXAL, has recently expanded his business holdings through his purchase of 35% stock holdings in the Sociedad Industrial de San Fernando, a construction machinery manufacturer in San Fernando.

Wednesday, September 26, 1945
Earlier this year, Bolivian President René Salinas's land reform law came into effect, redistributing land from large landowners into the hands of peasant farmers. The new law severely hurt large landowners, some of whom lost over 95% of their property without compensation.

Also hard-hit were the Mennonite colonies who had started settling in the Bolivian lowlands. These German-speaking farmers first came to Bolivia from Russia and North America in order to maintain their religious and cultural identity, being promised autonomy and exemption from mandatory military service. La Paz's broken promises have resulted in many Mennonite families in Bolivia taking advantage of an offer to settle in the Magellanes region of Chile. In the last six months, a new Mennonite colony on the shores of Lago General Carrera has already drawn two hundred immigrants driven out of Bolivia by the new Salinas administration.

Ah, Land Reform...

Done compassionately, it can be a boon to a nation. Done corruptly, it can be worse than outright nationalization. I fear that Bolivia has chosen the worst of both paths.

:(

Methinks Bolivia will eventually get some kickback from this, probably from Chile and maybe Argentina too in its current re-emergent right-wing form.

Beni Department, Bolivia - August, 1945
Another notch on the handle of his shovel told Paul Eitzen that his four months of hard labour were nearly up. The camp was not yet complete, but the laborers had still built five crude barracks and a field kitchen, and fenced the area in with a section of barbed wire wrapped around posts. Outside the fence, the workers had laboriously cleared the trees before a wheezy bulldozer had flattened the ground.

Paul made the second-to-last notch on his shovel the day a little red plane flew over the camp, circled twice, and finally landed on the freshly-cleared airstrip. The Bolivian soldiers promptly hustled the labour party back to the lean-to that served as their shelter.

"Wonder what this's about?" Jaime asked, peeking through a chink in the lean-to's wall. "No good, I'll wager."

"I don't know," Paul said. "I don't gamble."

Jaime snorted. "Hum - this is an odd set disembarking from that plane."

Paul had a look through the chink in the wall. The plane's pilot was tending to his aircraft, but the two passengers - a man and a woman, both in dark green fatigues - were walking into the camp. The woman carried a compact firearm slung over her shoulder, while the man had a pistol on his belt.

"I suppose," Paul muttered, checking his sleeping mat for snakes before flopping down for a bit of rest. Jaime went back to the hole and watched for a few minutes until the newcomers disappeared into one of the barracks.

An hour later, six trucks arrived, filled with raucous young men. Jaime went back to the chink in the wall. "I don't like this, Paul," he whispered. "I got a bad feeling about this."

"What do you mean?" Paul asked, sitting up.

Jaime looked nervous. "These guys, they're not Bolivian Army. I think they're guerrillas that the Army is supporting. Makes me really nervous..."

After a few minutes, the Bolivian soldiers loaded up in the trucks and left the camp, while a detachment of the newcomers ordered all of the prisoners to line up outside their building. The man in green fatigues who had come with the woman in the airplane strolled over.

"Comrades of the peasants and workers of the proletariate! I am Hernando Narra..." Paul listened attentively. Narra represented the Communist Guerrilla Union of Bolivia, and he was recruiting. Their goal was the liberation of southern Bolivia from the hated capitalist Chilenos, and after that, spreading the Revolution through the rest of South America.

He was recruiting, as it turned out. Several of the other prisoners agreed to join the UGCB's ranks, but Paul and Jaime were among the slight majority who did not.

Night fell and the insects started screeching in the night. Four of the guerrillas came to the prisoners' lean-to. "Out!" they ordered, passing out shovels. "Come on, we don't have all night. Let's go!"

Jaime shook his head. "I don't like this, Paul," he whispered, as they marched down the road in the darkness. "If something happens, follow me."

For the first time in four months, Paul began to feel scared. The guerrillas turned the work detail off the road, walked a hundred yards into the jungle, and found a clear spot where they ordered everyone to dig.

The earth was soft, but the number of roots and vines in the ground made it hard to dig deep. The guerrillas lounged around, swatting at insects with their machetes. One of the other prisoners leaned in close and whispered while the guards were horsing around. "They're going to kill us here, aren't they?"

Jaime nodded. "Si. Are you all ready to run?"

Nods. Paul gripped his shovel tightly. Is this really happening?

Abruptly, Jaime spun and sprang on the guards with a shout, swinging his shovel and connecting the edge to one of the guerrillas' heads. The other prisoners shouted, and Paul and one other prisoner jumped to help Jaime. A gun went off in Paul's face, deafening and blinding him - more gunfire, and then chaos in the darkness. Paul knocked down one of the shorter guerrillas and then tripped over a body in the darkness. More gunfire.

"Run!" Jaime shrieked.

Paul picked up his friend from where he'd fallen and dashed off into the trees. A few minutes later, he stumbled into a knee-deep creek. "Jaime, are you injured?"

"One of those swine got my leg with his machete," Jaime snarled. He was clutching a compact firearm. "I fixed him. Can't walk, though. You should get out of here, Paul."

"No," Paul said. He tied his shirt around the slashing cut on Jaime's leg, and then hoisted him onto his back. "Not going to leave you behind, friend. Not if I have to carry you to the Pacific Ocean."

Jaime snorted. "You big ox."

Typical behavior by the "Guardians of the Proletariat". Something tells me that they will come to no good end...

Seems likely.

Hmmm, slightly typical parody of Communist guerrillas here.
Marxists have operated in Paraguay for some time (not as paramilitaries admittedly) without mass murder as their weapon of choice for liberation.

Anyhow, in 1948 this Argentine young man will enter university and start his path in life...

Beni Department, Bolivia - September, 1945
It had been a long walk back to the Mennonite colony, and Paul Eitzen had carried Jaime for most of it. Even now, the old soldier barely limped along, too stubborn to constantly be a burden, but seriously slowing their progress.

As Paul helped his friend up the last stretch of the road, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. The fields the small colony had cultivated for five years had not yet been prepared for planting. The fences were in disrepair. The burned ruins of the small Mennonite church lay amidst a patch of tall weeds, and the crosses in the graveyard nearby had disappeared from sight from lack of tending.

The houses were still occupied, however - by native Bolivians. Paul knocked on the door to his old house, and found the peasants sitting at the table and chairs he'd made, eating off his mother's old plates. The women in the house glared at him, but an older man answered Paul's questions. "The Norteamericanos who lived here? When the government seized the land, they went south. Probably across the border. The radio, it said the Chilenos let them have land in the south with others like them, very far away."

Paul and Jaime walked down the road and found a section of fence to sit down on. "I guess we're both homeless now," Paul said. "My uncle must have gone to Chile with the Ginters and the Niesens."

Jaime nodded slowly. "You going?"

"Don't have anything else I can do with myself," Paul said with a shrug. "What are you going to do?"

"Well, I figure I'll go to Chile, too," Jaime said. "I lived in the Occupied Territories for three years. Maybe join the Territoriales... being a soldier is the only thing in my life I've been good at. You should try it."

"I'm a pacifist," Paul said automatically, without any real feeling. He hopped down off the fence and looked back at the commune's old graveyard. He couldn't see the crosses he'd raised over his parents' graves - but the cross he'd planted over Rose Niesen was just visible. "There's not much point to it sometimes." He took a last look back at his old home and then turned his back. "Your leg rested yet, old man?"

"Enough to keep up with you for a bit longer," Jaime shot back. "Back when I was young, I had to climb a volcano with a thirty-kilo pack and a rifle, and I didn't complain about it, either. You think you can do that, child?"

Paul shook his head and laughed. It felt good. "Probably not. Come on, old man, let's go south."

Monday, October 1, 1945
Chilean Navy light cruiser Picunches was turned over to ASMAR shipyards today for a comprehensive refit, intended to completely modernize the vessel. Currently one of the oldest cruisers in the Chilean fleet, Picunches will receive a modernized air-defense armament as well as a new dradis radio-detection and fire-control suite.

In other naval news, the Armada announced plans for a new class of antiaircraft cruisers to replace the antiquated Astraea and Concepción classes. The first two ships in the class, to be named Araucanía and Los Lagos, will be laid down in January.

Friday, October 5, 1945
Valparaiso playwright Ignacio Cassab presided over the opening of his latest work, Marcoleta.

Tuesday, October 30, 1945
A mild earthquake occurred in the Antofagasta region of Chile, with an epicenter near the town of Diego de Almagro, north of Copiapo. No casualties have been reported and damage is believed to be minor.

Wednesday, November 7, 1945
Ground-breaking ceremonies were held today for a new natural gas fired power plant in Concepcion. Approximately half of the electricity to be produced by the plant is earmarked for the Aluchile aluminium smelter, which shall process raw bauxite imported from Brazil and Canada. The power plant shall complete in August 1947.

Thursday, November 15, 1945
Gabriela Mistral becomes the fifth woman (and the first Latin American) to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. She will receive the award in December 10th in Stockholm.

Thursday, December 6, 1945
Representatives of the Chilean Army departed for Altmärkische Kettenwerk to take delivery of the latest Aufklärungspanzer Luchs armoured vehicles, currently being delivered to the Ejercito. A hundred vehicles, to be designated the M46 Lince in Chilean service, have been ordered for the Army's use.