Chaco War

The Chaco War (1932-1935) was fought between the Republics of Bolivia and Paraguay over control of part of the Gran Chaco region, a wasteland with almost no value at all.

It started when Bolivia invaded part of the territory and fought a Paraguayan garrison. Bolivia had more population and troops than Paraguay, but they counted with a different style of war, a more homogeneous population and intelligence and supplies from Argentina. They were able to seize a grand part of Gran Chaco.

Eventually, both sides, unable to keep advancing, decided to end the war. Even though technically Paraguay won, both countries ended up very badly, with many deaths and huge debts to pay. And worst of it all, the supposed oil never existed, making this war completely worthless. However, Bolivia eventually found out that their territory of Gran Chaco had enormous gas deposits for them to export, making them the winners in the long run.

Works dealing with this war:

 * Tintin's comic, The Broken Ear.
 * A poem by Pablo Neruda, Standard Oil Company, mentions the conflict.
 * A Doc Savage adventure, The Dust of Death.

Tropes set during the war:

 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: The war was fueled in part by oil companies wanting to exploit the area. Standard Oil backed Bolivia and Shell Oil, Paraguay.
 * Did Not Do the Research: Semi-averted, since they did research the Gran Chaco area. It seems they just didn’t research it that well.
 * The Cavalry
 * Face Palm: There was no oil in the contested area.
 * Lawful Stupid: Paraguay requested help from the League of Nations. They were as useful as always.
 * President Evil: Daniel Salamanca of Bolivia, even considering the Gray and Gray Morality of the conflict, comes off quite badly.
 * Pyrrhic Victory/Pyrrhic Villainy: The war seriously damaged both armies and brought both countries to the brink of economical collapse.
 * Was It Really Worth It: The so-called “Generación del Chaco” still wonder.