We were stationed at Santa Ana. There were two companies of infantry in this town and we were transferred to San Miguel where a company of reservists was added and the 4th battalion was created. After our battalion was formed we were driven up to El Amatillo where we prepared for the attack. When we crossed the bridge, we were fired on by Hondurans in a house. We attacked the house and silenced the Hondurans there. Our battalion was then ordered to take two defended hills on the north side of the highway. Our company, 1st company, was ordered to flank the northern most hill and take it from the enemy's right flank. 2nd company was to advance up the road and attack the enemy from their left flank. The enemy had built fortifications on the crests of both hills. The southern hill had one .30 caliber machine-gun on it, while the hill we were to take had three .30 caliber machine-guns. The Hondurans were armed with Ml rifles and carbines. We were armed with G-3s, Madsen automatic rifles, Saetter machine-guns and electrically fired 51mm mortars from which we had removed the base plates. My section had two Madsen automatic rifles and a 51mm mortar. Our company moved up the river bank and attacked with first section on the left, my section in the middle and third section on the right. As we advanced along the river bank we came under intense machine-gun fire and two men were wounded in my section. Once we got to the hill, first section assaulted around the flank. They paid for it though, as one man was killed and two men were wounded. A third man was bitten by a snake or insect and later died. To counter the Honduran fire, the first section began setting up their Saetter machine-gun on a tripod. The first section came under intense fire as they set up a Saetter machine-gun. Another man was killed. However, when the Saetter opened fire across the Honduran positions, it had the desired effect and pinned them down. This allowed the rest of the company to continue our advance. As we got closer, the Hondurans fled, leaving behind their three machine-guns, so we took their positions. The 2nd company also assaulted and took the other hill, capturing a single .30 caliber machine-gun. The whole engagement lasted around two hours. We next advanced on Nacaome. I was sent on a patrol with four other men including Captain Manchan, our company commander. We reached the outskirts of Nacaome and watched the Hondurans there and then returned and reported to the Colonel in charge. The Colonel then took the information to the leaders of the front and planned the attack. Essentially the plan was that the support company with three 60mm mortars, two .30 caliber machine-guns and 18 Madsen automatic rifles would set up a base of fire. The second section, my section, would stay behind to provide security to the support company. The rest of the two regular infantry companies launched the attack, while the reservist company was held in reserve. The advance was soon bogged down by Hondurans with automatic weapons in a bunker with excellent fields of fire. They were also firing at us from the church where they had their headquarters. Using mortars and machine-guns, the support company laid down a heavy barrage. After several rounds, the bunker was destroyed and we took the town. Logistics Officer, Maestranza Civilian Reservist 1, Salvadoran Air Force Civilian Reservist 2, Salvadoran Air Force Civilian Volunteer with the National Guard Second Lieutenant, 1st Battalion, TON Cadet, Northern Theatre of Operations (TON) Soldier, 1st Company 4th Bn TOO Battalion Commander of the 11th Bn TOO Company Commander 11th Battalion Eastern Operations Theater (TOO) Soldier, Treasury Police, TOO Back to Table of Contents: Booklet No. 7, Leticia Conflict Back to El Dorado List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by The South and Central Military Historians Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com