Oral Histories
of the 100 Hours
"Football War"

El Salvador - Honduras 1969

Logistics Officer, Maestranza

by David E. Spencer

In 1966-67 there were several border clashes and a general increase in the level of tensions. Both the Honduran army and the Salvadoran army were mobilized in preparation for war. While the situation was eventually diffused, the Salvadoran army learned some valuable lessons. We came to the conclusion that an armed conflict with Honduras was inevitable and that El Salvador needed to prepare for such an eventuality. We also concluded that our equipment was outdated and inferior to the military equipment being used by Honduras.

While the basic Salvadoran rifle was the bolt action 7mm Mauser of World War I origins, the Honduran army, through US aid, was almost completely equipped with semi-automatic Ml Garands and Ml carbines. While El Salvador had also received US military aid, it was on a much smaller scale compared to Honduras. Much of El Salvador's arsenal was antiquated, having been purchased early in the century from Europe, and now badly needed replacing.

In 1968, El Salvador began to replace the Mausers with NATO 7.62mm G-3s in addition to buying quantities of machine-guns and other equipment. The new automatic rifle gave us an edge, both in firepower because of its increased rate of fire, and psychologically, because the Hondurans with their semi-automatic weapons would feel that they were being attacked by units entirely armed with machine-guns. This psychological edge would prove decisive in the upcoming conflict.

As preparations for war advanced, what we couldn't buy, we tried to make. One company designed mortar bombs for the 81mm mortar. The design was as good or better than the original. However, the cost of manufacture was too prohibitive, so the project was scrapped.

A project that was more successful was the manufacture of rifle grenades for the G-3 rifle. We were phasing out our old 51mm infantry mortars purchased from Denmark in the 1930's. This left us with several thousand unused 51mm mortar bombs. Many of these were so old that they no longer exploded. To make rifle grenades, the explosive and detonator was removed and replaced with new explosive and detonators. The fins were removed and a finned tube that would fit onto a G-3 rifle was added.

Another project that was successful was the manufacture of several armoured vehicles, accomplished by covering 2.5 ton trucks with specially designed armoured plates. Some of these trucks were armed with mortars and howitzers, and others were left unarmed. These trucks were designated "Rayos" (2). Furthermore, because of the Salvadorans lack of armoured vehicles, armoured cars used by the banks were requisitioned for military service. These vehicles were designated "ninas" (3). All of these vehicles would play an important role in the war, especially in the east.

Footnotes

(1) Maestranza was the ordnance shop and logistics command of the Salvadoran armed forces.
(2) Rayo means lightning ray, but is also the corruption of REO, the American designation of the 2.5 ton utility truck.
(3) Meaning little girl.

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