Logistics and the Chaco War: Bolivia versus Paraguay, 1932-1935

This article assesses how Paraguay, the weaker power, managed to defeat Bolivia in the 1932-35 Chaco War, fought over the disputed and remote Gran Chaco region that separated the two countries. Using a broad definition of logistics to include the acquisition of matériel before the war as well as the establishment of national and international supply lines during the war, it examines the logistical infrastructure of Bolivia and Paraguay from the early 1920s to 1935. The article argues that Paraguay's logistical superiority, developed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, was a decisive factor leading to its victory in 1935.