From the Atacama to the Andes: Battles of the War of the Pacific 1879-1883

With the break up of the Spanish empire in South America, the continent split into nine independent states with often ill—defined boundaries. One of these was that between Bolivia and Chile, which were separated by the Atacama Desert, tone of the driest regions in the world. When it was realized that the area contained nitrates that the world needed for explosives and fertilizer the scene was set for the inevitable clash.

When war broke out in February 1879, both sides found themselves unpre...