Argentina
Status in 1942: independent
Government in 1942: democratic republic
Population in 1942: 14,600,000
Location:South America
On May 30th, 1942... Argentina was not yet at war. Its public was divided following the Great Depression and the continuing rightwing domination of the government. The Castillo administration was continuing to try and make the nation more open and democratic, combat the growing military power over the country, and increase economic independence. However, internal forces stood at the precipice of civil war and regime change on 5-30-42.
300,000 Lizard soldiers supported by killercraft, landcruisers, and even starships appeared in the Pampas plains that night, bringing war from beyond the solar system. The plains allowed for a quick facilitation of troops in all directions, while killercraft destroyed all human aircraft moving and bombed cities. 700 were dead within the first twenty-four hours with killercraft over Buenos Aires. Another 4,000 would die as well due to bombing.
By Day Three, Race armies began shelling Bahia Blanca, leading to the death of nearly 3,000 citizens. The city would surrender after two days and little resistance. Soon after, other cities nearby, especially along the coast, received similar bombardments. By Day Five, Lizard tanks and troops were approaching Mendoza. The many cities along the Parana River were left largely alone except for killercraft.
By the end of the week, Lizards were moving like lightning down Patagonia. Some reinforcements were also approaching from the north. Soldiers began to move on positions in the Andes as well. The Castillo administration was put out of power by a brutal military coup, adding to the terror and confusion of the invasion. Furthermore, the Race had taken the breadbasket of Argentina, cutting off many cities from its foodstuffs. Argentineans fought on borrowed time, and so far away from other powers, there was no solace in the thought of rescue. However, the new military council decided that they would resist until the very end.
Mendoza fell in a five-day siege, with 7,000 casualties, while San Juan surrendered unconditionally as another siege began in Cordoba. As Week Two began, Cordoba would fall with a total of 5,000 deaths, while landcruisers moved towards Rosario and Buenos Aires. The Battle for the Parana would last two weeks, as the military junta had moved many troops and equipment into the region, and used the river for a huge advantage. Uruguay and Southern Brazil lent aid as well, from Montevideo and Porto Alegre. The Race had meanwhile swept through the rest of the country, taking another 2,000 lives. With the fall of Buenos Aires on Day Twenty-Nine, more than 70,000 lives would be taken in the Battle of the Parana River.
By the end of conventional warfare, the Race had taken more than 12000 casualties, with 2415 deaths and around 9600 wounded. Thanks to starvation and a stubborn resistance, Argentina took around 304,000 dead. Resistance would continue for a few months by die-hard militarists, which would end up killing as many political opponents and collaborators as Lizards, as many as 500. Nearly 11,000 Lizard troops would occupy Argentina, especially Buenos Aires. The seizure of the Pampas plains would lead to a continuing starvation, and another 40,000 Argentineans dead.
Post-war note: Though militarists continued resistance against the Race, the political instability before the Race Invasion allowed the Lizards the perfect climate to take over in the power vacuum. With the end of the war, there would be very few additional problems, until of course the persecution of the Catholic Church later on.
