Battle of Achuapa
| Battle of Achuapa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of United States occupation of Nicaragua, Banana Wars | |||||||
  Achuapa Battle of Achuapa (Nicaragua) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 Sandinistas | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Sgt. Arthur M. Palrang †[1] |
Miguel Angel Ortez | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10 marines | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
8 killed 2 wounded[2]: 353 8 mules captured |
11 killed 4 wounded (estimate)[1] | ||||||
The Battle of Achuapa, or the Achuapa massacre,[3] took place on December 31, 1930 during the American occupation of Nicaragua of 1926–1933.[2]: 353
The engagement took place when a ten-man unit of
Eight Marines were killed in the firefight (including Palrang[4]), with the two survivors being wounded. It was the largest loss of American life in a single battle during the occupation of Nicaragua.
The battle resulted in the Sandinistas capturing "two Browning automatic rifles, one Thompson submachine gun, three Springfield rifles, and eight fully equipped mules."[5] The battle lasted two and a half hours.[1]
In the United States, the incident reignited controversy over the military occupation of Nicaragua. On 2 January 1931, Senator William E. Borah, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for a withdrawal of American military personnel from Nicaragua.[6]
American casualties
Killed:
- Sergeant Arthur M. Palrang
- Corporal Irving T. Aron
- Private Lambert Bush
- Private Edward E. Elliott
- Private Joseph A. Harbaugh
- Private Frank Kosieradzki
- Private Richard J. Litz
- Private Joseph A. McCarty
Wounded:
- Private Mack Hutcherson
- Private Frank A. Jackson[4]
References
- ^ a b c Beede, Benjamin R. (May 1, 1994). The War of 1898 and U.S. Interventions, 1898–1934: An Encyclopedia. New York City: Routledge. p. 3.
- ^ ISBN 0025882104
- ^ "The Wyoming Tragedy". Leatherneck. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Marine Corps Casualties". The Sandino Rebellion, 1927–1934. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ Macaulay, Neill (February 1998). The Sandino Affair. Chicago: Quadrangle Books. p. 183.
- ^ Macaulay, Neill (February 1998). The Sandino Affair. Chicago: Quadrangle Books. pp. 183–184.