Reunification by Blood: A South American War Timeline

Hello everybody, this is my first attempt at writing a timeline and it's mainly about a general war in South America in the 1950s. Hope you like it and any feedback is appreciated.

Intro: Prelude to the Storm

After almost the entirety of South America fought and gained their independence from the Spanish Empire, the main figure of the war, Simon Bolivar had plans to create a unified south American state which would be able to defend itself and become a major power in the region and in the world. From 1819 to 1831, a state called the Great Colombia existed in the territories of the recently liberated republics of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama (which at the time was still part of Colombia), parts of northern Peru and western Guyana. The republic had the potential to become a major power in the geopolitical sphere. Political infighting and separatist movements in the different nations of the republic ultimately led to its collapse. Since then, many had dreamt about bringing back a more powerful and unified South American state.
upload_2017-1-25_15-3-50.png

A small border clash in September 1952 in what would become known as "The Los Monjes Crisis" between Venezuela and Colombia would be the casus belli which would trigger a general conflict in the region which would have social, economic and political repercussions that would be felt for the years and decades to come.
 
Situation of Venezuela and Colombia by the time of the crisis
After tremendous periods of political instability and a civil war in the 19th Century, Venezuela had lost large portions of its territory to its neighbors.
upload_2017-1-25_18-30-29.png

Territories lost by Venezuela since 1777.

But the country was in a state of slow but constant development. The dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gomez, a warlord who had overthrown the government with his ally Cipriano Castro but had later taken all the power and declared himself ruler of the country, successfully imposed governmental control over the entirety of the country, killing or forcing the remaining warlords that still roamed the countryside to surrender and building roads and highways which allowed the recently reformed army to quickly move across the country. The discovery of oil in the country in 1918 turned Venezuela into an economic powerhouse in the region, creating jobs and stability in the nation. The country was also heavily supported and influenced by the United States. By the 1950s, Venezuela was the most prosperous and powerful nation in all of South America. A general called Marcos Pérez Jiménez had overthrown the democratically elected leader and established the so called “dictatorship of concrete”, which was characterized by the massive infrastructural development of the country, as well as the ever constant strengthening of the armed forces of the nation. Since he got to power, the General and his military staff had been developing plans for the reclamation of the lost territories.
general-marcos-perez-jimenez-time.png

The ruler of Venezuela at the time, Marcos Pérez Jiménez.

Colombia had also experienced severe political turmoil after its independence. From 1899 to 1902 it had suffered a civil war known as “The Thousand Day War” in which over 120.000 people had died. The country also lost its region of Panama, which became independent in 1903 after the US sponsored independence movements separated the region from the rest of Colombia. The country had also fought a war with Peru and by the time of the crisis with Venezuela the country was going through what is currently known as “La Violencia”, "The Violence", one of the most violent periods in its history of the country. This internal crisis had started in the late 40s and had carried on until the early 50s, and it had already claimed the lives of almost 100.000 people. Because of this, the country was in anarchy and in a de facto state of civil war. By that time, Colombia had also sent around 1500 troops to Korea to support the US and UN forces in the country. By the time of the crisis, Colombia was ruled by Roberto Urdaneta Arbelaez, who was considered by many to be a puppet of the previous president, Mariano Ospina Pérez.
Roberto_Urdaneta_Arbel%C3%A1ez.jpg

Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez
 
Last edited:
The Crisis
Although relations between the 2 nations were generally friendly, there were constant struggles and political fights over the territories of both countries. Of particular importance was the claim made by Colombia over a series of uninhabited islands in the Gulf of Venezuela. These islands were known as "Los Monjes".
upload_2017-1-25_18-51-46.png

After the signing of a territorial treaty by Colombia and Venezuela in 1941, tensions between the 2 countries were reduced. But in said treaty it wasn't specified to which nation the islands belonged to. In late 1951, Colombia claimed that "Los Monjes" and several other islands in the Gulf were an integral part of the national Colombian territory. On January 17th 1952, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded, saying "The islands and all the other islands territories indisputably belong to the Republic of Venezuela and they will be defended by any means necessary". On January 25th, and after the political bickering between the 2 countries increased, Venezuela sent several technicians and construction workers over to the islands, claiming that they were there to install a lighthouse to improve the navigational conditions in the Gulf. The Colombian government was outraged, demanded the immediate withdrawal of Venezuelan forces and started to make plans over how to "repel the Venezuelan invasion of the islands". The Colombian public however, wasn't paying much attention to the crisis, as they were going through the de facto state of civil war known as "La Violencia".

On September 1st, 1952, the Colombian frigates "Almirante Padilla" and "Capitan Tono" (formerly "USS Groton" and "US Brisee", both Tacoma class frigates), which had been under the command of the United Nations in Korea, were returning to Colombia with 2 other escort ships after performing exercises in the Caribbean Sea. On its way to the country, the frigate "Almirante Padilla" fired 5 shells against "Los Monjes" while it was doing firing exercises, assuming that the islands were empty. But while most of the Venezuelan personnel on the islands had left some weeks earlier, there were several Venezuelan fishermen in the land and in fishing ships around the islands. The Colombian frigate did not saw them before firing. Several fishermen died and even more were wounded. The Colombians then sent several sailors to the islands to examine the damage.

upload_2017-1-25_19-27-12.png

upload_2017-1-25_19-27-23.png

upload_2017-1-25_19-26-35.png

The "Almirante Padilla" and its escort ships sailing through the Gulf and shelling the islands.

upload_2017-1-25_19-34-49.png


upload_2017-1-25_19-34-59.png

Colombian sailor examining an abandoned Venezuelan tent while the Colombian ships "Padilla" and "Tono" patrol the islands.

When the report came that Colombian frigates had shelled the islands, the Venezuelan armed forces launched "Operation Caiman", which ordered the reinforcement of military forces on the border with Colombia and a full military occupation of the Los Monjes Islands. As soon as the order came through, the Venezuelan airforce and navy units in Maracaibo, who were the closest to the islands, immediately started patrols aerial and maritime patrols and sent an marine infantry battalion to occupy the islands. The Venezuelan Flower class corvettes “Patria”, “Federacion” and “Victoria” set sail towards the islands with the "Agustin Codazzi" marine infantry battalion.

A squadron of Venezuelan De Havilland fighter jets and P-47 Thunderbolts, which were later joined by B-25 bombers, were the first to spot the Colombian ships near the islands.
upload_2017-1-25_19-48-52.png

Venezuelan De Havilland Vampire jets taking off from their bases in Maracaibo.

After doing a flyby and seeing that the Colombians failed to move their ships (the Colombians by now had realized their mistake and were waiting for the remaining sailors on the islands to return to the ships), the Venezuelan planes started attacking the Colombian ships. Already alerted by the first flyby of the planes, the Colombian frigates opened fire against the attacking Venezuela air squadrons. 4 P47s were shot down and 3 were damaged, but eventually the Colombian fleet was overwhelmed. One of the Colombian escort ships and the "Almirante Padilla" were sunk and the other 2 ships were heavily damaged and fell back towards Colombian waters. The Venezuelan marine infantry troops landed in the south of the islands and in less than 2 hours the battle for the islands was over, as the Venezuelan fleet and the air forces patrolled the islands and the soldiers raised the flag of Venezuela and sang the national hymn. The Venezuelan President Pérez Jiménez visited the island the next day and gave the order to permanently station an infantry battalion on the islands, as well as to increase the air and naval presence in the gulf area.
upload_2017-1-25_22-4-43.png

The Venezuelan President (7th from left to right) in the islands with the marine infantry troops.

Urdaneta Arbelaez, the Colombian President, who was desperately looking to increase his popularity and to unify the country, saw the crisis as the perfect way to rally the country against a foreign attacker and bring stability and pride to the nation. On September 3rd, 1952, the Colombian ambassador in Caracas delivered a declaration of war, and the Colombian army, already strained by the internal riots and bloodshed, started to mobilize towards the Venezuelan border.
 
Last edited:
Situation of the armed forces, alliances and the US reaction
When the war started, the Colombian Army and Navy were superior both numerically and qualitatively to the Venezuelan Army. Despite the losses suffered at the Battle of Los Monjes (the Tacoma class frigate "Almirante Padilla" and an escort ship), the Colombian Navy still had another frigate, the "Capitan Tono" (damaged in battle) and 2 Douro Class destroyers. It also had 3 gunboats in the Amazonian region. These ships were not only superior in size and firepower to the Venezuelan ships, but they were also experienced in combat, as a large part of the Colombian navy had been fighting with the United Nations in the Korean war.
The Venezuelan Navy had 5 Flower Class Corvettes, 4 Subchasers (USCG 83 ft. type) and 2 unarmed gunboats.

The Colombian Army had a numerically superior and better trained army, with large manpower reserves of soldiers and many experienced officers and sub officers (veterans of Korea). It also had 12 M3A1 Stuart tanks and several half track vehicles. However, their capabilites were severely limited as they were trying to implement the state of martial law throughout the country and fighting the several armed groups and guerrillas that had sprung up since the beggining of the internal crisis.
The Venezuelan army was numerically inferior to its Colombian counterpart, but it wasn't suffering from the problems that they were experiencing, and its soldiers were slightly better equipped. The army was already almost entirely equipped with automatic rifles received from the US, it had 18 M3A1 Stuart tanks, several anti air defense units and the first shipment of M18 Hellcats tank destroyers was on its way from the US.

On the air, the Venezuelans had a clear advantage. Its air force had a total of 89 aircraft, 24 P47s (4 had been lost in the battle of Los Monjes), 26 B25J Mitchell Bombers, 26 AT-6 Texan recon aircraft and 24 De Havilland Vampire Jet Fighters. It also had a small number of helicopters in its arsenal.
The Colombian Air Force had 77 aircraft at its disposal, 2 B25J bombers, 17 P47s, 53 AT-6 Texan recon aircraft and 4 PBY-5 Catalina. The air force suffered from a severe lack of maintenance, as large number of aircraft were lost during training exercises or simply neglected and abandoned in their hangars and left to rust.

Immediately after the declaration of war from Colombia, the Venezuelan government contacted the Peruvian dictador Manuel Odría. Venezuela and Peru were very close partners, especially in trade, as more than 50% of Peru's exports went to Venezuela. Perez Jimenez, the Venezuelan President, told Odría that if it joined the war on Venezuela's side, and taking advantage of the weak and chaotic state of Colombia, it could annex the Colombian cities of Leticia and Tarapaca (for which Peru had fought and lost a war against Colombia from 1932 to 1933) and further territories in the Colombian Amazon territories, which would be discussed after the war was over. Odria, who was interested in augmenting Peru's influence in the region, accepted the proposal, and ordered to the Peruvian Army to start mobilizing towards the Colombian border.
upload_2017-1-28_15-7-46.png

Peruvian dictator Manuel Odria watching the mobilization of the Peruvian Army.

In the US, the Eisenhower administration was divided over who they should support in the conflict that had just started. One side claimed that Venezuela should be given full diplomatic and military support, as the country was a strong ally in the fight against communism in the region and that it was supporting the US backed forces in Operation Fortune (the CIA plan to overthrow the President of Guatemala), and pointed out to the several left leaning and communist guerrillas that had appeared in Colombia during its ongoing internal crisis, and how if any of these managed to topple the weakened Colombian government, they could have a communist country and a possible ally of the Soviet Union directly south of the Panama Canal.
The other side wanted to denounce the Venezuelan attack and give full support to Colombia. They pointed out how Colombia was fighting side to side with the US troops in Korea, and that if Venezuela went unchecked, it could become a major regional power on its own in South America, and it would be a power that wouldn't always benefit US interests (Venezuela and the US had had several diplomatic disputes over industry and weapons sales, which had led to Venezuela start looking for alternatives to US arms sales and markets, and it found them in the British and French markets).
The discussions ended when, on September 3rd, a guerrilla group on the north of Colombia attacked a Panamanian border post and fired several artillery shells towards the country. A decision was then made. The US would covertly support Venezuela with weapons and vehicles, while officially it would call for both sides to refrain from further hostilities and for a ceasefire to be implemented. After the war ended, it would look for ways to remove the Venezuelan dictator, Perez Jimenez, with a leader more "friendly" to US interests in the country.
upload_2017-1-28_15-12-27.png

US President Dwight Eisenhower and the Secretary of State Allen Dulles meeting with Perez Jimenez.
 
Brother Against Brother
The first firefights started in the Peninsula of "La Guajira".
upload_2017-1-29_14-24-21.png

Venezuelan and Colombian troops started exchanging gunfire over the border, but no side made a push towards the other's side yet. Perez Jimenez, the Venezuelan leader, gave explicit orders to his troops stationed along the border with Colombia to not enter into Colombian territory, and to only return fire if they were fired upon first. He wanted the colombians to focus all their attention on the Peninsula.
The Colombian President Urdaneta Arbeláez, desperate for a quick victory, ordered the armed forces to launch a general offensive towards the Venezuelan controlled parts of the Peninsula. He wanted to bring the entirety of the Gulf and its oil reserves under Colombian control. The Colombian generals protested the plan, arguing how difficult it would be to occupy the peninsula with all the guerrilla attacks happening to their rear and that their supply lines would not be secure. The President dismissed their concerns, claiming that the Navy would be there to give them tactical support, and that if the supply lines overland became compromised, the ships would supply them. He also ordered that 6 of the 12 Stuart tanks that the Army had would be left behind to maintain martial law in the capital, Bogota, due to the increasing levels of violence and anarchy in the city. Again, the Generals protested but the President ignored them once more. The head of the Colombian Armed Forces, General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, said to his commanders: "We need to achieve a decisive victory against the Venezuelans. If we do, we may be able to bring some stability to the country, and then we'll be able to remove Arbelaez and get into power riding the waves of victory".
upload_2017-1-29_14-37-4.png

Rojas Pinilla talking to the Colombian troops.

By September 10th, and after suffering several casualties due to guerrilla attacks, the Colombian army had finished its mobilization and was deployed all across the border. Other parts of the Venezuelan-Colombian border saw sporadic fighting but nothing serious. It was clear that the main fighting would happen in the peninsula.
On September 12th, the Colombian Army launched its offensive against Venezuela.
a.png

Directions of the Colombian assault.
 
Last edited:
Memories of Greater War
The first phases of the Colombian assault against Venezuela went well. The troops were advancing at an acceptable rate but casualties were higher than expected. The Venezuelan soldiers were mainly in a fighting retreat. They would engage the Colombian troops for short periods of time, trying to inflict on them as many casualties as possible buying enough to move all the vital vehicles and equipment out of the area. The Venezuelan troops usually retreated when the Colombian tanks appeared. The civilians that were captured by the Colombian troops suffered the same fate as that of so many others in the history of warfare-rape, robberies and death were all that was in store for the civilian population.
upload_2017-1-30_13-44-52.png

Colombian Stuart tanks advancing into Venezuela.

The Colombian Generals were surprised that they had not been engaged by the Venezuelan Air Force. Although Venezuelan B-25 bombers had engaged and destroyed several planes and airfields inside Colombia itself, the supply columns that managed to survive the guerrilla attacks in Colombia were not attacked by Venezuelan planes, and they managed to arrive to their positions inside the Peninsula, bringing supplies and reinforcements to the Colombian forces. This was all part of the general strategy that the Venezuelan army had developed. It was called "Operation Soberanía". They wanted to let the largest amounts of Colombian troops and equipment to be deployed inside the peninsula before counterattacking.

The Colombian forces had advanced several kilometers inside Venezuela before they engaged in their first major battle, in the outskirts of the major city of Maracaibo. Expecting an easy victory assuming that the Venezuelans would retreat as they had before, the Colombian army launch a general assault against the city on September 22nd, ten days after the invasion started. After they reached the suburbs of the city, Colombian troops engaged in brutal house to house fighting with the Venezuelan forces. Buildings and houses were constantly changing hands, as both sides attacked and counterattacked to retake lost ground. The 2 Colombian B25 bombers that were in the arsenal of their air force were sent to perform bombing attacks against the city, but were shot down by static and mobile Venezuelan AA units inside the city. By September 26th, Colombian troops were less than a kilometer away from the center of the city, and only 3 km from reaching the western shore of Lake Maracaibo. The Generals then ordered a temporary halt to the advance to get supplies and reinforcements into the city and to get the dead and wounded out.

On the naval fronts, the Venezuelan navy had deployed the 3 corvettes that had been activated during the Los Monjes operation ("Patria","Federacion" and "Victoria") , as well as the recently arrived "Constitucion near the coast of the Peninsula. They had been involved in evacuating troops to the eastern shore of the Maracaibo Lake as well as transporting troops to aid in the defense of Maracaibo itself, but were now preparing for a major battle against the Colombian navy. The 5th Venezuelan frigate, the "Independencia", along with the 4 Venezuelan sub chasers, were stationed around the Paraguana Peninsula, where they were to report and try to stop any attempts that the Colombian fleet made to perform attacks outside of the Gulf area.
upload_2017-1-30_14-27-13.png

Venezuelan ships deployed in the Gulf.

The Colombian naval commanders, desperate to avenge the defeat suffered at Los Monjes, had ordered the Colombian navy to block the Gulf from the Atlantic and to start pushing inside the Gulf. The plan was to force the Venezuelan ships from the Gulf and into the Maracaibo lake, where, supported by the artillery and other ground elements from the Western shore of the Maracaibo Lake, they were going to completely destroy the Venezuelan fleet. By September 26th, the Colombian frigate "Capitan Tono" and the 2 Douro Class destroyers were already chasing the Venezuelan Navy down into the Gulf. On September 27th, the corvettes "Victoria" and "Patria" started to cross the strait that divided the Gulf and the Maracaibo Lake. But as the Colombian ships started to approach, and knowing that if they were caught while crossing the strait all the ships would be destroyed, the "Federacion" and Constitucion" decided to engage the Colombian ships to allow the 2 other corvettes to get into the lake safely. In 1823, the Colombian and Venezuelan fleets had fought together against the Spanish during the Battle of Lake Maracaibo, a battle which had been decisive in ending the Spanish domination of South America. Now, 129 years later, the Colombian and Venezuelan fleets would fight another battle on the Lake, but this time, the sister nations had their guns turned on each other.
The 2 Venezuelan Corvettes first engaged one of the Colombian Douro class destroyers. Their concentrated fire managed to damage the bridge and kill several sailors that were attempting to turn their guns to fire on the Venezuelan ships. The other class Douro destroyer started to engage the Venezuelan ships as it approached. All 4 ships had heavily damaged each other when the Colombian Tacoma class frigate "Capitan Tono" arrived on the scene. The Venezuelan corvettes knew that they had no chance against the superior armor and firepower of the Colombian ship, so they started to move down south in a desperate attempt to reach the strait. But it only took a couple took a couple of salvos fired by the Capitan Tono to cripple and sunk the 2 Venezuelan frigates. As their ships sank, the Venezuelans captains knew that they had bought their sisters ships precious time, and that their sacrifice had been vital to achieve what was needed to execute the general counterattack plan that would turn the tide of the war. On the night of September 27th, the remaining Venezuelan ships crossed into the Maracaibo Lake.

On the morning of September 28th, Colombian forces were preparing to launch the final assault to capture the center of the city and to reach the western shore of Lake Maracaibo. The morale of the Colombian troops was high, and it was boosted even more when they saw the "Capitan Tono" and the 2 damaged Douro destroyers cross the strait and enter the Maracaibo Lake. They were confident that, after they captured the city and their fleet destroyed the remnants of the enemies navy, the Venezuelans would sue for peace.
But just as they were to begin the assault and as the Colombian captains advanced eagerly to kill the remaining enemy ships in the Lake, the Venezuelan forces in the city received the order to execute "Operacion Soberania", an operation that they hoped would turn the tide of the war.
Then, the sound of engines filled the skies. When the Colombian soldiers and the crew of the Colombian ships looked up, they saw how dozens of P47s, De Havilland Jet Fighters and B25 bombers appeared above the city and started to descend towards the Colombian fleet. The 2 damaged destroyers were easy prey of the Venezuelan planes, and they were at the bottom of the Lake in less than an hour. The "Capitan Tono" was a harder a target, as its AA guns managed to damage and shoot down several Venezuelan planes before they were knocked out by the air attacks. Then, the Venezuelan Corvettes started to attack the Colombian frigate too. Knowing that they had no chance to survive if they stayed, the "Capitan Tono" started to pull back towards the strait.

At that same time, the Venezuelan forces in the city launched a general counterattack, supported by artillery and airplanes. P47s and De Havilland Vampire jets started strafing and bombing the Colombian units outside the city, helicopters started deploying infantry squads to the rear of the Colombian formations and artillery started pounding the buildings and houses that had been taken by the Colombians. Fearing that their supply lines would be cut and that their troops would be trapped inside the city and destroyed, like what had happened to the Germans in Stalingrad 10 years before, the Colombian Army ordered an immediate but orderly withdrawal from the city. But what was supposed to be an orderly withdrawal quickly turned into a rout. Colombian transport trucks abandoned the infantry they were supposed to evacuate, soldiers on cars, horses or simply running moved back to the suburbs and into the outskirts of the city. Those who fell back on foot soon realized that they had made the right choice, as those who left on the trucks and cars were swiftly strafed and destroyed by the P47s and Vampire jets that patrolled the skies.
upload_2017-1-30_14-7-22.png

Colombian Stuart tank destroyed by an air attack outside Maracaibo.

Meanwhile, the "Capitan Tono" managed to cross the strait. Heavily damaged and advancing at an extremely slow pace, the captain of the ship thought that it could only had been divine intervention that had saved him and what was left of his crew from total annihilation back at the Maracaibo Lake. Its radio, the radar and most of its guns had been destroyed during the air attacks, and it had no way of knowing what was going on with the Colombian troops in the city. As it approached the open waters of the Caribbean Sea, the last thing that the Captain and most of his crew saw was the Venezuelan corvette "Independencia" and 4 sub chasers, which had moved from their positions in the Paraguana Peninsula after being informed of the Colombian ship that had left the Lake, opening fire against the damaged frigate. The battle did not last 5 minutes as a salvo fired by the Venezuelan corvette reached the ammunition magazine of the frigate. No survivors (or bodies) from the crew of the frigate were found.

While the counterattack in Maracaibo was ongoing, the Venezuelan forces launched the 2nd part of "Operation Soberania". After a short artillery barrage, Venezuelan army units launched an assault into Colombia. Their objective was the Colombian town of Valledupar, and, after it had been captured, to advance towards the sea to cut off the Colombian troops inside the Peninsula. By September 30th, Venezuelan troops had reached the outskirts of Valledupar.
upload_2017-1-30_16-1-4.png

Venezuelan troops on the outskirts of the town.
upload_2017-1-30_16-2-5.png

Venezuelan paratroopers attacking the town with mortars.

The few Colombian units that were in the town (no one in the Colombian High Command had expected a Venezuelan attack in this region) offered a fierce resistance, but the battle ended when the first M18 tank destroyers (recently arrived from the US) entered the town. Those who refused to surrender were destroyed along with their position by the armored vehicles. The civilians that had stayed in the town would be raped, robbed and summarily executed as retribution for the actions of the Colombian soldiers on Venezuela.
upload_2017-1-30_16-6-3.png

Venezuelan M18 Hellcats in the center of Valledupar.
upload_2017-1-30_16-7-9.png

Captured Colombian troops.

By October 1st, the Venezuelan forces had reached the Colombian shore on the Caribbean sea. Around 100 thousand Colombian troops (more than 80% of the Colombian armed forces), were now cut off from the rest of the country and laid trapped inside the Peninsula. As Rojas Pinilla and rest of the Colombian High Command, in panic mode, were desperately looking for ways to break the siege that had fallen on the bulk of the army, they received reports that border towns and troops in the Amazon region were under attack by Peruvian air strikes and by Peruvian troops.

The Colombians avoided a Stalingrad in Maracaibo, but the Peninsula of La Guajira would be their Falaise Pocket.

upload_2017-1-30_16-33-49.png

Red=Territories occupied by the Colombian Army.
Large rectangle=Location of the naval battle between the Venezuelan corvettes and the Colombian Navy.
Small rectangle to the south=Where the 2 colombian destroyers were sunk and the "Capitan Tono" was damaged.
Near the small rectangle to the south=Maracaibo, the city where the battle happened.
Small rectangle to the north=Where the "Capitan Tono" was sunk.
Black arrows=Directions of the Venezuelan counterattack.
 
Last edited:
The first phases of the Colombian assault against Venezuela went well. The troops were advancing at an acceptable rate but casualties were higher than expected. The Venezuelan soldiers were mainly in a fighting retreat. They would engage the Colombian troops for short periods of time, trying to inflict on them as many casualties as possible buying enough to move all the vital vehicles and equipment out of the area. The Venezuelan troops usually retreated when the Colombian tanks appeared. The civilians that were captured by the Colombian troops suffered the same fate as that of so many others in the history of warfare-rape, robberies and death were all that was in store for the civilian population.
View attachment 306166
Colombian Stuart tanks advancing into Venezuela.

The Colombian Generals were surprised that they had not been engaged by the Venezuelan Air Force. Although Venezuelan B-25 bombers had engaged and destroyed several planes and airfields inside Colombia itself, the supply columns that managed to survive the guerrilla attacks in Colombia were not attacked by Venezuelan planes, and they managed to arrive to their positions inside the Peninsula, bringing supplies and reinforcements to the Colombian forces. This was all part of the general strategy that the Venezuelan army had developed. It was called "Operation Soberanía". They wanted to let the largest amounts of Colombian troops and equipment to be deployed inside the peninsula before counterattacking.

The Colombian forces had advanced several kilometers inside Venezuela before they engaged in their first major battle, in the outskirts of the major city of Maracaibo. Expecting an easy victory assuming that the Venezuelans would retreat as they had before, the Colombian army launch a general assault against the city on September 22nd, ten days after the invasion started. After they reached the suburbs of the city, Colombian troops engaged in brutal house to house fighting with the Venezuelan forces. Buildings and houses were constantly changing hands, as both sides attacked and counterattacked to retake lost ground. The 2 Colombian B25 bombers that were in the arsenal of their air force were sent to perform bombing attacks against the city, but were shot down by static and mobile Venezuelan AA units inside the city. By September 26th, Colombian troops were less than a kilometer away from the center of the city, and only 3 km from reaching the western shore of Lake Maracaibo. The Generals then ordered a temporary halt to the advance to get supplies and reinforcements into the city and to get the dead and wounded out.

On the naval fronts, the Venezuelan navy had deployed the 3 corvettes that had been activated during the Los Monjes operation ("Patria","Federacion" and "Victoria") , as well as the recently arrived "Constitucion near the coast of the Peninsula. They had been involved in evacuating troops to the eastern shore of the Maracaibo Lake as well as transporting troops to aid in the defense of Maracaibo itself, but were now preparing for a major battle against the Colombian navy. The 5th Venezuelan frigate, the "Independencia", along with the 4 Venezuelan sub chasers, were stationed around the Paraguana Peninsula, where they were to report and try to stop any attempts that the Colombian fleet made to perform attacks outside of the Gulf area.
View attachment 306168
Venezuelan ships deployed in the Gulf.

The Colombian naval commanders, desperate to avenge the defeat suffered at Los Monjes, had ordered the Colombian navy to block the Gulf from the Atlantic and to start pushing inside the Gulf. The plan was to force the Venezuelan ships from the Gulf and into the Maracaibo lake, where, supported by the artillery and other ground elements from the Western shore of the Maracaibo Lake, they were going to completely destroy the Venezuelan fleet. By September 26th, the Colombian frigate "Capitan Tono" and the 2 Douro Class destroyers were already chasing the Venezuelan Navy down into the Gulf. On September 27th, the corvettes "Victoria" and "Patria" started to cross the strait that divided the Gulf and the Maracaibo Lake. But as the Colombian ships started to approach, and knowing that if they were caught while crossing the strait all the ships would be destroyed, the "Federacion" and Constitucion" decided to engage the Colombian ships to allow the 2 other corvettes to get into the lake safely. In 1823, the Colombian and Venezuelan fleets had fought together against the Spanish during the Battle of Lake Maracaibo, a battle which had been decisive in ending the Spanish domination of South America. Now, 129 years later, the Colombian and Venezuelan fleets would fight another battle on the Lake, but this time, the sister nations had their guns turned on each other.
The 2 Venezuelan Corvettes first engaged one of the Colombian Douro class destroyers. Their concentrated fire managed to damage the bridge and kill several sailors that were attempting to turn their guns to fire on the Venezuelan ships. The other class Douro destroyer started to engage the Venezuelan ships as it approached. All 4 ships had heavily damaged each other when the Colombian Tacoma class frigate "Capitan Tono" arrived on the scene. The Venezuelan corvettes knew that they had no chance against the superior armor and firepower of the Colombian ship, so they started to move down south in a desperate attempt to reach the strait. But it only took a couple took a couple of salvos fired by the Capitan Tono to cripple and sunk the 2 Venezuelan frigates. As their ships sank, the Venezuelans captains knew that they had bought their sisters ships precious time, and that their sacrifice had been vital to achieve what was needed to execute the general counterattack plan that would turn the tide of the war. On the night of September 27th, the remaining Venezuelan ships crossed into the Maracaibo Lake.

On the morning of September 28th, Colombian forces were preparing to launch the final assault to capture the center of the city and to reach the western shore of Lake Maracaibo. The morale of the Colombian troops was high, and it was boosted even more when they saw the "Capitan Tono" and the 2 damaged Douro destroyers cross the strait and enter the Maracaibo Lake. They were confident that, after they captured the city and their fleet destroyed the remnants of the enemies navy, the Venezuelans would sue for peace.
But just as they were to begin the assault and as the Colombian captains advanced eagerly to kill the remaining enemy ships in the Lake, the Venezuelan forces in the city received the order to execute "Operacion Soberania", an operation that they hoped would turn the tide of the war.
Then, the sound of engines filled the skies. When the Colombian soldiers and the crew of the Colombian ships looked up, they saw how dozens of P47s, De Havilland Jet Fighters and B25 bombers appeared above the city and started to descend towards the Colombian fleet. The 2 damaged destroyers were easy prey of the Venezuelan planes, and they were at the bottom of the Lake in less than an hour. The "Capitan Tono" was a harder a target, as its AA guns managed to damage and shoot down several Venezuelan planes before they were knocked out by the air attacks. Then, the Venezuelan Corvettes started to attack the Colombian frigate too. Knowing that they had no chance to survive if they stayed, the "Capitan Tono" started to pull back towards the strait.

At that same time, the Venezuelan forces in the city launched a general counterattack, supported by artillery and airplanes. P47s and De Havilland Vampire jets started strafing and bombing the Colombian units outside the city, helicopters started deploying infantry squads to the rear of the Colombian formations and artillery started pounding the buildings and houses that had been taken by the Colombians. Fearing that their supply lines would be cut and that their troops would be trapped inside the city and destroyed, like what had happened to the Germans in Stalingrad 10 years before, the Colombian Army ordered an immediate but orderly withdrawal from the city. But what was supposed to be an orderly withdrawal quickly turned into a rout. Colombian transport trucks abandoned the infantry they were supposed to evacuate, soldiers on cars, horses or simply running moved back to the suburbs and into the outskirts of the city. Those who fell back on foot soon realized that they had made the right choice, as those who left on the trucks and cars were swiftly strafed and destroyed by the P47s and Vampire jets that patrolled the skies.
View attachment 306167
Colombian Stuart tank destroyed by an air attack outside Maracaibo.

Meanwhile, the "Capitan Tono" managed to cross the strait. Heavily damaged and advancing at an extremely slow pace, the captain of the ship thought that it could only had been divine intervention that had saved him and what was left of his crew from total annihilation back at the Maracaibo Lake. Its radio, the radar and most of its guns had been destroyed during the air attacks, and it had no way of knowing what was going on with the Colombian troops in the city. As it approached the open waters of the Caribbean Sea, the last thing that the Captain and most of his crew saw was the Venezuelan corvette "Independencia" and 4 sub chasers, which had moved from their positions in the Paraguana Peninsula after being informed of the Colombian ship that had left the Lake, opening fire against the damaged frigate. The battle did not last 5 minutes as a salvo fired by the Venezuelan corvette reached the ammunition magazine of the frigate. No survivors (or bodies) from the crew of the frigate were found.

While the counterattack in Maracaibo was ongoing, the Venezuelan forces launched the 2nd part of "Operation Soberania". After a short artillery barrage, Venezuelan army units launched an assault into Colombia. Their objective was the Colombian town of Valledupar, and, after it had been captured, to advance towards the sea to cut off the Colombian troops inside the Peninsula. By September 30th, Venezuelan troops had reached the outskirts of Valledupar.
View attachment 306182
Venezuelan troops on the outskirts of the town.
View attachment 306183
Venezuelan paratroopers attacking the town with mortars.

The few Colombian units that were in the town (no one in the Colombian High Command had expected a Venezuelan attack in this region) offered a fierce resistance, but the battle ended when the first M18 tank destroyers (recently arrived from the US) entered the town. Those who refused to surrender were destroyed along with their position by the armored vehicles. The civilians that had stayed in the town would be raped, robbed and summarily executed as retribution for the actions of the Colombian soldiers on Venezuela.
View attachment 306185
Venezuelan M18 Hellcats in the center of Valledupar.
View attachment 306186
Captured Colombian troops.

By October 1st, the Venezuelan forces had reached the Colombian shore on the Caribbean sea. Around 100 thousand Colombian troops (more than 80% of the Colombian armed forces), were now cut off from the rest of the country and laid trapped inside the Peninsula. As Rojas Pinilla and rest of the Colombian High Command, in panic mode, were desperately looking for ways to break the siege that had fallen on the bulk of the army, they received reports that border towns and troops in the Amazon region were under attack by Peruvian air strikes and by Peruvian troops.

The Colombians avoided a Stalingrad in Maracaibo, but the Peninsula of La Guajira would be their Falaise Pocket.

View attachment 306187
Red=Territories occupied by the Colombian Army.
Large rectangle=Location of the naval battle between the Venezuelan corvettes and the Colombian Navy.
Small rectangle to the south=Where the 2 colombian destroyers were sunk and the "Capitan Tono" was damaged.
Near the small rectangle to the south=Maracaibo, the city where the battle happened.
Small rectangle to the north=Where the "Capitan Tono" was sunk.
Black arrows=Directions of the Venezuelan counterattack.

Okay the timeline you have here is okay but its seems you don't know your geography. If you look up a map and do some research of the border of both countries, you will find a mountain range that divides both countries. They are called the Perejil Mountains which limits Valledupar with a town called Machiquete in Venezuela. The terrain are very difficult to cross from one place to the other. So a invasion through the mountains is not a proper place to go through. Now lets say the venezuelan generals does this, the first thing the army will find are tribes of indian who don't like strangers going through their territories. Also there were lookout post in 1948-1968 and I imagine that colombian officials will find out and will use its air force.
 
Also how can you move tanks through mountains is confusing. Like I said there isn't roads through the Perejil mountains. So a tank crossing it will be dificult
 
Top