Battle of Pantoja and Rocafuerte
Part of the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War

Location of the battle with modern day borders
Date11 August 1941
Location
Napo–Aguarico confluence
(today Cabo Pantoja, Peru)
0°58′14″S 75°10′28″W / 0.9706824°S 75.1745138°W / -0.9706824; -75.1745138
Result Peruvian victory
Territorial
changes		 Ecuadorian troops relocate away from the confluence[1]
Belligerents
 Peru  Ecuador
Commanders and leaders
Gen. Antonio Silva Santisteban[2][3]
Maj. Manuel Moria Concha[2][3]
Corvette Cpt. Florencio Texeira Vela[3]		 Maj. Carlos Escalante[1][2][3]
Maj. José Arias Cox  (POW)[2][3]
Units involved

5th Light Division:[3]

  • Pantoja Garrison
  • 27th Infantry Battalion
  • 5th Artillery Group (partial)
1 Air Force Squadron[2][4]		 14th Battalion Oriente[2]
Strength
2 rifle companies
1 machine gun company
3 machine gun platoons
2 75mm batteries
BAP Amazonas
1 civilian volunteer		 1 rifle company
1 machine gun company
2 47mm cannons[2][3]
Casualties and losses
10 dead
9 wounded[3]		 8 dead[5]
3 wounded
29 captured[3]
6 civilians drowned[2]

The Battle of Pantoja and Rocafuerte,[6] known also simply as the Battle of Rocafuerte, was a military confrontation between Peru and Ecuador that took place on August 11, 1941, during the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War.

Background

Hostilities between Peru and Ecuador began on July 5, 1941, when fire was exchanged between both parties.[7][8] By late July, a full-on offensive was being carried out by Peru in the coastal region of southern Ecuador, and fire was being once again (hostilities had occurred in the past)[4] exchanged in the disputed Amazon as well. A ceasefire had been declared by Ecuador, effective on July 31, but skirmishes between both parties continued nevertheless.[3]

Battle

Both parties started exchanging fire at 4 a.m. according to Peru.[2][3] Who started the attack, however, is disputed by both parties as well.[2][3] The Ecuadorian outpost, Rocafuerte, was well supplied and in a good position,[6] and the Peruvian outpost, Cabo Pantoja, was on a small island with trees blocking the view located in the Napo–Aguarico confluence.[6] At the time, both outposts were located in what was known as the Status quo line, agreed upon by both countries in 1936 to serve as a provisional border, and were separated by an eponymous bridge.[9] During the battle, Major Arias attempted to negotiate a ceasefire but was unsuccessful in doing so as the Peruvians demanded an unconditional surrender, something he was not authorized to approve. According to Peru, Arias also unsuccessfully attempted to communicate with Major Escalante, who had fled the scene.[2][3] According to Ecuador, Peru used air support in addition to its frigate to heavily bombard the outpost.[2]

The battle went on for hours, and the Ecuadorian forces were eventually forced to retreat, with Peru eventually overrunning the outpost and capturing several men, including Arias,[3] and by 12 p.m. the Flag of Peru had been risen on the Ecuadorian outpost, ending the battle.[3] Ecuadorian accounts claim that the men had to leave almost naked and extremely unprepared, and that due to the harsh nature of the local environment, six children drowned.[2]

Aftermath

The government of Ecuador, led by Dr. Carlos Alberto Arroyo del Río, signed the Rio de Janeiro Protocol on January 29, 1942, with which Ecuador officially renounced its claim to a sovereign outlet to the Amazon River.[3]

Rosa Panduro District was created in 2014, named after Rosa Panduro, a housewife who participated in the battle along with her husband.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Macías Núñez, Edison (2017). Artillería por siempre: historia, gloria y tradición (in Spanish). Quito: Centro de Estudios Históricos del Ejército. p. 110.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Macías Núñez, Edison (2012). EL EJÉRCITO ECUATORIANO EN LA CAMPAÑA INTERNACIONAL DE 1941 Y EN LA POST GUERRA (in Spanish). Quito: Centro de Estudios Históricos del Ejército. pp. 130, 148–156.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Monteza Tafur, Miguel (1979). El Conflicto Militar del Perú con el Ecuador. Editorial Universo S.A. pp. 124–166, 240–246.
  4. 1 2 Zlatan Stambuk, Tte. Grl. FAP José; Muniz Ortega, Tte. Grl. FAP Mario (1981). Homenaje a la Fuerza Aérea del Perú 1981 (in Spanish). pp. 8, 38–39.
  5. ↑ Apuntes histórico militares del Perú, 1909-1941 (in Spanish). Comisión Permanente de la Historia del Ejército del Perú. 2006. pp. 116–117.
  6. 1 2 3 "Battle of Pantoja and Rocafuerte". Peruvian Navy.
  7. ↑ Rodríguez S., Luis (1955). La agresión peruana documentada (in Spanish). Quito: Casa de la Cultura ecuatoriana. p. 168.
  8. ↑ Colección Documental del Conflicto y Campaña Militar con el Ecuador en 1941. Vol. III. Lima: Centro de Estudios Históricos Militares del Perú. 1978. pp. 773–774.
  9. ↑ Bignon, François (2019). La militarización de los Orientes peruanos y ecuatorianos (1933-1941) (in Spanish). University of Rennes. Amazonía Peruana.
  10. ↑ "Ley de Creación de la Provincia de Putumayo en el Departamento de Loreto" (PDF). Congress of Peru. El Peruano. 2014-05-06.
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