Clearly the Defence Minister of Bolivia, as well as many other Latin American nations, had placed too great an emphasis on affordability without taking into consideration the actual utility of tankettes on the battlefield. In all fairness, however, many of the European powers themselves would have to learn this same lesson the hard way later on in Spain and during the Second World War. Nonetheless, with the possibility of a renewed conflict, Bolivia received delivery of twelve CV 3/33 tankettes, accompanied by an Italian Military Mission, in 1937, one year before the signing of the peace treaty (English 1984, p.79).
Two other unlikely recipients of Italian aid was El Salvador, which purchased three CV 3/33 tankettes, accompanied by instructors, in 1938, and Nicaragua, which also obtained a single Italian tankette during the 1930's (Icks 1970, p.238; English 1984, p.328). This was an indication that by the 1930's the importance of A.F.V.s was growing in the eyes of military leaders the world over, as the other smaller nations of Latin America also sought to obtain or construct their own vehicles. Under the ruler Trujillo, the Army of the Dominican Republic organized a Motorized Company around six armoured machine gun motorcycles and a single Autochenille M-29 armoured halftrack from France (Crow and Icks 1976, p.65; English 1984, p.225). Among the medium sized countries of Latin America, Uruguay experimented with the construction of home-made armoured cars based on commercial truck chassis and armed with either a 37mm gun or a Hotchkiss machine gun, while Venezuela actually constructed at least two armoured cars of a unique design (English 1984, p.427). The "Tortuga" armoured car, constructed in the Naval dockyard at Puerto Cabello, consisted of a cone shaped armoured body, with a machine gun turret on top, all of which was mounted on a commercial 6x4 Ford truck chassis (with caterpillar treads fitted over the dual rear tires) (Icks 1970, p.240; Crow and Icks 1976, p.137; English 1984, p.448). While the shape of the armour provided excellent ballistic protection, the overall effect seemed to suggest the designer had watched too many sci-fic movies!
While many of the countries of Latin America purchased or produced A.F.V.s during the inter-war period, only one, other than Bolivia, used their armoured forces in a full scale conventional war. This was Peru which, in 1938, formed a tank battalion with the purchase of twenty four LTP light tanks from Czechoslovakia (Chamberlain and Ellis 1972, p.240; Kliment and Doyle 1979-A pp.47,49, 1979-B p.5; English 1984, p.375; Bogart 1988, p.15). The tank battalion was deployed along the border with Ecuador and assisted in the advance to the Zarumilla River which began on the 5th of July, 1941. Presumably it also contributed to the second and final Peruvian offensive of the 23rd of July (English 1991, p.3). The successful use of armoured forces by the Peruvians stands in stark contrast to the failure of the Bolivians during the Chaco War. Granted, the principle reason for Peru's success was their opponent's incredible lack of preparation. But it cannot be denied that in terms of both numbers and quality, Peru's armoured forces were far superior to Bolivia's tank detachment. Had Bolivia fielded twenty four LTP light tanks at Nanawa, the results would have been far different (granted, the LTP reflected the degree to which tank designs had improved by the end of the 1930's). The reason that the use of tanks in the Gran Chaco War received a relatively fair degree of attention while their use in the Peru-Ecuador War was all but ignored, of course, was due to the amazing success of the Panzer Divisions in Europe, long before Peru and Ecuador had come to blows. The Second World War cut off the Latin American nations from their military suppliers in Europe, thus creating a vacuum that the U.S. would easily fill to overflowing.
The Third Phase: The Monopoly Of The United States, 1940-1970.
The influx of U.S. equipment into Latin America came basically in three waves. The first began even before the U.S. had entered the War, with the Lend-Lease Program. The second wave followed the signing of the Rio Mutual Defence Treaty in 1947 and reflected the emergence of the Cold War. The last wave occurred during the Vietnam Era, when the U.S. supplemented or replaced Latin American stocks of obsolescent Second World War vintage equipment with a new generation of U.S. hardware.
The impact of the Lend-Lease Program on the armed forces of much of Latin America is reflected in the fact that, for some of the nations which qualified for assistance, such as Cuba, Ecuador and Haiti, this would be their first experience with A.F.V.s, while for others, it would be their first experience with tanks. Initially, however, with the U.S. Army itself scrambling for equipment as it approached its entry into the war, the U.S. could only provide Latin America with obsolete material, such as the products of the commercial tractor firm of Marmon - Herrington. This firm had already done business with Latin American customers, having sold six CTVL turretless tanks to Mexico, with which her Army was able to form its first tank company in 1937 (Icks 1970, pp.237, 251; English 1984, p.309). In early 1942 Marmon - Herrington was in the process of filling an order for the Colonial Government of the Dutch East Indies when they were overrun by the Japanese. The U.S. Government bought the order and used the tanks for training purposes and to supply some of its Latin American Allies (some of these tank, however, did reach Dutch hands, the Colonial forces in Guiana, who had already experimented with a Cardon Loyd M-1931 amphibious tank, received delivery of CTMS-ITBI, MTLS-lGl4 and CTLS-4TAC tanks in 1942) (Chamberlain and Ellis 1972, p.239). In 1942 the U.S. began delivery of a number of Marmon - Herrington CTMS light tanks, including eight to Cuba (English quotes eighteen), twelve to Ecuador, six to Guatemala and four to Mexico (Icks 1970, pp.234-237, 246; Chamberlain and Ellis 1972, pp.238-239; English 1984, pp.202, 239, 258; Bogart 1988, p.3 & 1989, p.14). However, by 1942, the mass production of the U.S. Army's more modern equipment meant that small quantities of these A.F.V.s could now be made available. As with the Soviet Union (and unlike Great Britain and Germany, the U.S. decided to focus on the mass production of a small number of standardized types of A.F.V.s. Most of the Latin American nations which obtained equipment through the Lend-Lease Program received A.V.F.s from the initial range of light vehicles, including the M-3A] White scout car, the M-2 or M-3 White halftrack and the M-3A1 "Stuart" light tank. Given the operational requirements of these Armies, the level of mechanical training within their ranks and the weight restrictions of bridges and rail transportation in these countries, it seems reasonable to conclude that the range of light equipment which was provided was the most suitable. But it should also be noted that, except for the M-3 halftrack which served throughout the war, both the M-3A1 scout car and the M-3A1 light tank were soon phased out of frontline service and replaced with more robust A.F.V.s (many of which, in turn, would later serve in Latin American armies), which, more than likely, was an additional reason why they were supplied to Latin America.
The only exception to this rule of receiving light equipment was Brazil. While Brazil did obtain a considerable number of scout cars, halftracks and light tanks in 1942, she also received twenty M-3 "Grant" and sixty M-4 "Sherman" medium tanks, along with some M-7 "Priest" self-propelled guns (Icks 1970, p.234; Chamberlain and Ellis 1972, p.238; English 1984, p.100). The M-3 "Grant" was originally built as a stopgap weapon, before U.S. industry was capable of casting a turret large enough to house a 75mm gun (the M-3 had a 75mm gun positioned on the left side of its hull, with a small turret containing a 37mm gun), and was therefore withdrawn from frontline service once the "Sherman" became available in massive numbers, the "Sherman" itself remained the main tank used by U.S. forces up to the end of the War. Clearly the delivery of this type of equipment suggests the importance of Brazil as an ally in the eyes of the U.S. Armed Forces. Brazil, of course, was the only Latin American nation to commit a large body of ground troops to combat in World War Il. But the F.E.B. that fought in Italy between 1944 and 1945 was basically an infantry formation, with only some light A.F.V.s, such as halftracks, and no mechanized units, armoured support being provided by neighbouring U.S. formations (Zaloga 1983, Plate "C", p.36; Walsh 1991, pp.13-14 & 19).
A.F.V.s supplied by the U.S. through Lend - Lease
(sources: Keegan 1979 and English 1984)
| Brazil | 30 M-3A1 Scout Cars, Halftracks and M-8 Armoured Cars exact numbers are unknown, 220 M-3A1 Stuart tanks, 20 M-3 Grant tanks, 60 M-4 Sherman tanks, unknown amount of M-7 Priest self-propelled guns |
| Chile | 50 M-3AI Scout Cars, 10 Halftracks, 30 M-3Al Stuart tanks (For the markings on Chilean M-3AI light tanks see Allison and Allison 1976, p.165.) |
| Cuba | 8 (18) Marmon - Herrington CTMS light tanks, 8 M-3Al Scout Cars, unclear data as to whether A.F.V. i.e. Stuart tanks were ever supplied during this period. |
| Dominican Republic | 4 M-3AI Scout Cars and 4 M-3A1 Stuart tanks. |
| Ecuador | 12 Marmon - Herrington CTMS light tanks, an unknown amount of Scout Cars, 15 Halftracks, 41 M-3A1 Stuart tanks. |
| Guatemala | 6 Marmon - Herrington CTMS light tanks and an unkown amount of M-3A1 Stuart tanks. |
| Haiti | 6 M-3Al Stuart tanks. |
| Mexico | 6 Marmon Herrington CTVL turretless tanks, 4 Marmon Herrington CTMS light tanks, plus an unknown amount of M-3A1 Stuart tanks. |
| Peru | 50 M-3AI Scout Cars, 16 m-3Al Stuart tanks. |
| Uruguay | 18 (28) m-3Al Stuart tanks. |
| Venezuela | Total figures of A.F.V.s supplied are so far unkown. |
One of the reasons why the U.S. had supplied Brazil with a disproportionate amount of A.F.V.s compared with the aid provided to other Latin American recipients may have been to foster a counter-weight to the other powerful nation on the Eastern sea board of South America, Argentina, While all of the Latin American nations, to one degree or another, had reservations towards supporting the Allies during the War (Brazil, for instance, out of deference towards its large Japanese population, only declared war against Italy and Germany), Argentina was the only openly Pro Axis nation in the Western Hemishere. As such, she did not receive any Lend-Lease aid during the War. Cut off from European suppliers as well, Argentina embarked on the first Latin American effort to produce a purpose built tank. Designed by a Colonel A.A. Baisi at the Estreban de Luca Arsenal between 1942 and 1943, the new tank made its first public debut at a military parade in Buenos Aires in August 1944. The DL-43 was christened "Nahuel", an Aracaucano Indian word for jaguar. Initially armed with a 75mm Krupp L/30 gun and later fitted with a 75mm Bofors gun, this 35 ton medium tank (Icks quotes 25 tons) compared favourably with the U.S. M-4 Sherman, which it resembled. There is some confusion as to how many were produced, Icks and Crow states twelve, White, Chamberlain and Ellis sixteen and English ten. The sale of two Nahuels to Paraguay in 1953 may be the cause of this confusion, but irregardless of the exact number, only a few were produced before the end of the war and the availability of surplus A.F.V.s removed the need for further production (English 1984, p.351).
The end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War meant that a large surplus of war material was made available at the same time that the U.S. believed it needed to equip its Latin American Allies to combat perceived Soviet threats. With the enactment of the Rio Mutual Defence Treaty in August of 1947 the Latin American signers received the second wave of U.S. equipment through the Military Assistance Program (MAP). This time, however, they were supplied with heavy equipment, which previously only Brazil had received, along with A.F.V.s which had appeared later in the war and additional early war light equipment. Among the countries which received delivery of M-4 Shermans, Chile obtained thirty (later supplemented by forty six more purchased commercially), Mexico received twenty five, between fifty and sixty went to Peru, and an unspecified number to Colombia (Keegan 1979; English 1984, pp.140, 170, 309-310, 376). Invariably these were taken from the stocks of the earlier versions of the Sherman, with vertical volute spring suspension and a 75mm gun, which was being phased out of service in the U.S. Army and replaced by the M-4A3 equipped with horizontal volute spring suspension and a 76mm gun. Among the late war equipment which was supplied to Latin America, Honduras and Uruguay received the M-24 "Chaffee" light tank, which had begun to replace the M-3Al/M-5 light tank series in 1944 (English 1984, pp.284, 427). The only country to acquire tank destroyers, in the form of the excellent M-18 "Hellcat", however, was Venezuela, with which she formed a second armoured battalion, the first being equipped with Lend-Lease M-3A1 Stuart light tanks (the tank destroyer was a unique concept of the U.S. Army in World War II in which it was thought that fast, lightly armoured but heavily armed A.F.V.s would be used to combat enemy tanks, while friendly tanks would be used to exploit breakthroughs rather than slug it out with the enemy armour - Unfortunately the enemy never seemed to be willing to co-operate!) (English 1984, p.450).
A.F.V.S supplied by the U.S. through MAP.
(sources: Keegan 1979 and English 1984)
| Bolivia | Total amount of A.F.V.s supplied, as yet unknown. |
| Chile | 30 Shermans, 10 Stuarts and an unknown amount of halftracks supplied. |
| Colombia | Total amount of A.F.V.s supplied, as yet unknown. |
| Cuba | 12 Stuarts, scout cars and armoured cars sent but quantity as yet unknown. |
| Dominican Republic | 24 halftracks, scoutcars and Stuart tanks sent but figures so far unknown. |
| Ecuador | 30 Stuart light tanks. |
| Guatemala | 6 M-3A1 scout cars, 8 M-8 armoured cars, 10 halftracks, 10 M-3A1 Stuart light tanks. |
| Honduras | 15 M-3AI scout cars, 15 T-17 "Staghound", 10 M-24 "Chaffee" light tanks. |
| Mexico | 100 M-3A1 scout cars, 50 M-8 armoured cars, 25 M-3A1 Stuarts, 25 M-4 Shermans. |
| Nicaragua | 10 halftracks. |
| Paraguay | 9 M-20 armoured cars. |
| Peru | 50/60 M-4 Shermans, total number of M-81s and M-20's as yet unknown. |
| El Salvador | 3 M-3AI Stuart light tanks |
| Uruguay | 10 M-3A1 scout cars, 10 halftracks, 17 M-24 "Chaffee" light tanks. |
| Venezuela | 35 M-18 "Hellcat" tank destroyers and an unknown amount of halftracks. |
Once again, Argentina served as an exception. Denied U.S. aid for its courting of the Axis during the war, Argentina instead obtained large stocks of British war surplus. Britain had received large numbers of Shermans from the U.S. during the war, some of which they converted into "Fireflies" equipped with a superior 17 pounder gun. Argentina purchased two hundred Shermans from Britain, both standard and "Firefly" versions (as late as 1979 one hundred and twenty of these remained in service) (Keegan 1979; English 1984, p.27). In addition, one hundred obsolete "Valentine" and "Crusader Il" tanks were acquired, with their turrets removed, and these hulls were used as the basis of a series of self propelled artillery mounting Schneider 105mm L/30 M-1928 howitzers and Krupp 75mm L/60 M-1935 guns (Crow and Icks 1975, p.125; English 1984, p.27). Similarly, among the numerous halftracks which were purchased, some were converted to self propelled artillery, designated A-3s, with the installation of Krupp 65mm L/30 guns (Crow and Icks 1976, p.58; Zaloga 1985, p.64). Along with the halftracks, a large number of T-16 and Bren gun carriers were also purchased (these were small machine gun carriers descended from the tankette) (Crow and Icks 1975, p.125; English 1984, p.27). In 1948, with this massive influx of A.F.V.s, the Argentine Army was able to convert its 1st Cavalry Division into the 1st Armoured Cavalry Division "Campo de Mayo", thus giving Argentina the strongest armoured force, both in numbers and quality of equipment, in all of Latin America. (English 1984, p.28).
Other Installments
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Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Latin America: An Introduction: Part 3
Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Latin America: An Introduction: Part 4
Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Latin America: An Introduction: Part 5
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