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T R A N
S C R I P
T I O N
SAN ALBINO, NICARAGUA. February 3, 1928.
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From: |
The Commanding Officer. |
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To: |
The Commanding Officer, Special
Expeditionary Force,
Third Battalion, Fifth Regiment,
San Albino, Nicaragua. |
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Subject: |
Operations Report. |
1. Pursuant to your orders,
the Sixteenth Company, with the
undersigned in command, and Second
Lieutenant W.S. Brown as a Company
Officer, cleared San Albino for Chipote
at 0930 on 24 January, 1928, with one
section 8th Machine Gun Company and one
platoon Howitzer weapons attached, under
command of Captain Norman M. Shaw,
U.S.M.C.
1800 24 Jan. Arrived camp base of
Chipote on east bank of Murra River.
0930 25 Jan. Cleared above camp and
moved along valley of Murra River,
thence up east slope of Chipote in
support of 20th Company while they were
engaged in occupying Chipote.
1555 25 Jan. After Chipote had been
occupied, returned to camp at base of
Chipote.
0700 26 Jan. Cleared camp and arrived
Chipote proper at 1100. Proceeded to top
of Chipote Mountain at south end;
continued along east side of Chipote
Mountain and into valley east of
Chipote, destroying bandit stores.
1630 26 Jan. Arrived back at camp at
base of Chipote.
0850 27 Jan. Company, in two sections,
operated south along Murra Valley and
East to other side of Chipote,
destroying bandit stores, capturing
mules, horses, and oxen, and foraging
for food supplies.
1600 All details back in base camp.
2. Pursuant to your written orders dated
27 January, 16th Company with section
machine guns and one trench mortar squad
cleared base camp at 0900 28 January for
San Juan de Telpaneca via Sapotillal-Las
Cruces and Buena Vista, destroying all
bandit stores and works enroute.
1730 28 Jan. Arrived Sapotillal and
camped for the night.
0820 29 Jan. Cleared Sapotillal;
proceeded via Las Cruces-Buena Vista-San
Lucas, arriving San Juan de Telpaneca at
1700 on 29 Jan.
Jan. 30 and 31. In camp at San Juan de
Telpaneca, but daily patrols were sent
out to secure food and reconnoiter south
and north.
3. Pursuant to orders from C.O. 11th
regiment received by plane on 31 Jan.,
cleared San Juan de Telpaneca at 0820 on
1 Feb. for San Albino.
1630 1 Feb. Arrived Jicarita and camped
for night.
0930 2 Feb. Cleared Jicarita for San
Albino.
1140 2 Feb. Entire column in San Albino.
4. A large supply of bandit corn, poultry,
cattle etc, was encountered in Chipote,
but no bandits were seen during the
entire operation in and around Chipote.
5. The trail from Chipote to Sapotillal was
very mountainous and difficult, but
showed signs of considerable use. From
Chipote to Sapotillal, the Murra River
was crossed three times and the Jicaro
River once, at the eastern base of
Sapotillal Ridge. The buildings and
general layout [ p. 2 ] of Sapotillal
indicated that Sapotillal was used as a
jump off for all bandit operations, as
Quilali - Las Cruces - Buena Vista and
Jicarita could all be reached from
Sapotillal by good and very direct
trails, in a minimum length of time, and
it is the opinion of the undersigned
that from two to three hundred bandits
were normally stationed in Sapotillal,
as housing facilities, which showed
considerable use, were vastly greater
than on Chipote proper. Many newly
constructed barns filled with corn were
discovered all the way from Chipote to
Sapotillal.
6. The time of departure from San Albino
until our return thereto from San Juan
de Telpaneca, no bandits were seen nor
heard from in any way; the usual bandit
signals by dynamite bombs were entirely
lacking.
7. The wood ticks and fleas made operations
in this area very unpleasant, and all
personnel returned to San Albino covered
with insect bites and infected sores,
which caused sleeplessness to such an
extent as to materially reduce the
combat effectiveness of the command in
case serious opposition had been
encountered. The Officers and men
arrived back at San Albino in a
generally worn out and nervous condition
from the insect bites, which alone
forced half the company to report for
sick call daily.
/s/ R. W. Peard
127/220/2
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