Montoneros 1975
War Dispatch
Source: Monotoneros, Documentos internos, resoluciones, comunicados y actas de guerra. Cuadernos de la memoria, elortiba.org;
Translated: for marxists.org by Mitchell Abidor;
CopyLeft: Creative Commons (Attribute & ShareAlike) marxists.org 2010.
Formosa, October 6, 1975
On October 5 our Organization carried out the most important military action ever realized in our country in order to obtain its definitive social and national liberation.
This consisted in the military occupation of the city of Formosa, with its center at the 29th Mounted Infantry Regiment, in order to recover arms and improve the material status of the Popular Army.
This military action was mounted by the “Fred Mario Ernst” Combat section, composed of the “Carlos Tuda” and “Zulema Willimer” combat groups, which operated simultaneously and in synchronization, with one centralized command.
- The groups, composed of seven combat platoons, had as their objective the seize control of the four companies as well as the holding of the barrack’s guards and the barracks of the non-commissioned officers.
In all these posts there was resistance, and after the confrontation they were finally seized, except for the guards. At this post a group of military effectives managed to escape who used their arms to take our force hostage, basically the platoons effected to this task. Our force experienced most of our losses in this confrontation.
Because of this it was necessary to hasten our retreat, allowing us to only partially complete the objective of recovery, appropriating approximately fifty automatic rifles which passed into the hands of the military forces of the people.
In this confrontation we lost eleven compañeros killed and wounded, all of them later executed. In its turn, the enemy suffered some forty losses, all of them for not having obeyed the calls for surrender made by our force.
- The “Zulema Willimer” Group, composed of three platoons fulfilled the function of guaranteeing the retreat of the force assaulting the fort. In order to do this they immobilized the provincial gendarmerie and police, held a Boeing 737 of Aerolineas Argentinas and seized the international airport of El Picú.
The immobilizing of the police and the gendarmerie was done with a platoon that established a fire base on the sole access route to the city. Upon coming into contact with the enemy there was a confrontation, the enemy retired with unknown losses, and our force, without suffering any losses, continued to fulfill with success this part of the operation.
The Platoon controlling the airport encountered resistance on the part of the provincial police and the gendarmerie, who fought and were subsequently defeated, the remaining police and the gendarmes at the airport surrendering. From this moment the control of same was total.
The enemy losses were 5; we had none.
The platoon controlling the plane achieved its objective, taking control of the crew and passengers.
The latter were later allowed to disembark, except for a member of the navy, who was kept as a hostage.
- The “Carlos Truda” group, formed of three platoons, had as its objective the seizing of a field in the area of Rafaela, marking the road and preparing the absorption in various parts of the country of the forces and materiel that would be withdrawn from Formosa.
All of these steps were successfully completed, as much in the downing of the plane as in the defense of the compañeros who later returned the plane.
With this action our organization is beginning to develop a regular army which, joined to the military and paramilitary actions already carried out and that will continue to be realized, we can already clearly see the solid bases of an army nourished by the people, which will continue to develop as one of the decisive forces that will permit the taking of power by the People in the country.
We have again demonstrated despite the solely partial success of the operation and the losses suffered, the weakness of the enemy.
There is no place in the country, not even the most distant barracks, where the military forces of reaction can feel themselves secure. This operation has shown their weakness.
The enemy has chosen war in order to continue its domination of the People; the People will continue to construct its army and will defeat them!
PERÓN OR DEATH!
LONG LIVE THE FATHERLAND!
UNTIL VICTORY, MY GENERAL!
MONTONEROS