The Chaco War 1932-35: South America's greatest modern conflict

The Chaco War was massive territorial war between Bolivia and Paraguay, which cost almost a 100,000 lives.

An old fashioned territorial dispute, the contested area was the Gran Chaco Boreal, a 100,000-square mile region of swamp, jungle and pampas with isolated fortified towns. The wilderness terrain made operations difficult and costly as the war see-sawed between the two sides.

Bolivian troops, under the command of a German general, Hans von Kundt, had early successes, but these stalled in ...