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HEADQUARTERS FIFTH REGIMENT.
SECOND BRIGADE MARINE CORPS,
MANAGUA, NICARAGUA.
12 February, 1929.
R-2 REPORT
From: 0000 27 January
1929
To: 2400 9
February, 1929 ...
... The following extracts
are taken from Lieut. Esau's Report re ALTAMIRANO'S
activities:
"Below is some information I got from Dr. Mierisch's
Mandador [estate manager] who was on the place during the
stay of Altamirano. It is partly verified by Pascual
Gutierrez, Juez de Canton [of] Zapotal. They
state that Pedron had about sixty men, all armed with
rifles. They could not tell how much ammunition each
man had as the ammunition was kept out of sight. They
had one machine gun and carried about four hundred rounds of
ammunition for it.
He had no animals. Even
Altamirano was afoot, the men were well supplied with
clothing and blanketed. Each man a rubber coat.
While here they camped in a pasture in three groups about
five hundred yards from the ranch buildings. The
groups were about one hundred yards apart. While in
this area they traveled only in the daytime with an advanced
party of about ten men, commanded by Captain Santos Vasquez,
about one hundred yards in advance of the main body.
They
kept to the main trails. I am told that it is
impossible, even for the bandits, to do otherwise. I
can well believe that. They may be able to hide out on
the side of a trail but I do not believe they could travel
across country.
Pedron arrived here the afternoon of the 18th of January and
left the 19th for Camelias but found that Marines were in
that area so he got no farther than Las Milagros and
returned to Las Lajas the same day. Camelias is a
finca about as large as Fundadora and about one mile South
of Datanli on the Datanli-Babilonia trail. The left
here the 20th and went to Rafael Kuan's place.
Gutierrez said that they headed for Jesus Ochoa's place when
they left here. Both said the bandits had four
Springfield rifles and when asked if they liked the ones the
Marines had they said "yes." The rest of the rifles
were Mexican called "Con Con." Pedron evidently got
some rifles from Sandino as these are the same make Sandino
refused to turn in when the armistice [of May 4, 1927] was
signed. It is believed here that the bandits split up
in small groups of bout ten men each and only get together
occasionally when called by Pedron. ...
IR29.02.12: 3-4.
RG127/209/1
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b.jpg)
This description of
the guerrilla tactics used by Pedr