The events prior to the combat began at two in the morning on March 26, 1933, when the ships
Cartagena' and
Santa Marta of the
Putumayo Detachment of the
Colombian Navy landed two contingents of the
Colombian Army on both flanks of Güepí in order to surround the fort where the
Peruvian Army was located. Around 9 in the morning of the same day the
Colombian Air Force began the attack, supported by artillery fire from nearby Chavaco Island and from the gunboats
Cartagena and
Santa Marta, such that by 9:50 the Colombian company that was advancing from the east occupied the
Bolognesi entrenchment, when the Peruvian lieutenant Sillau abandoned it before his imminent fall. While this was happening on land, in the water, the ship Cartagena advanced towards the mouth of the Güepí River, beating the fort that defended that position with its cannons. Towards 12 o'clock the Cartagena launched itself towards the riverbank to disembark a wave of soldiers in order to take the main nest of resistance; Downstream, the Santa Marta fulfilled a similar task. The Peruvian troops resisted throughout the assault, slowly giving up ground, however, seeing themselves completely outflanked and only the trail to the town of
Cabo Pantoja as a single supply route, they withdrew in a disorderly manner, abandoning wounded, weapons, ammunition and food; Simultaneously the Peruvian aircraft withdrew towards Pantoja. Some Colombian platoons tried to follow the Peruvians in retreat, but when night fell and they did not know this territory, the pursuit was called off. At the end of the day, the casualties were 16 dead and 13 wounded for the Colombian side, while for the Peruvian side there were 27 dead, 12 wounded and 13 prisoners, a number that would increase in the following days to 19, with 6 new prisoners; as well as the permanence of the Colombian troops in Güepí. On March 28, the Peruvian air force conducted an attack on Güepí, which had no major impact. Towards the west, the
Sinchi Roca boat that was transporting the 19 Peruvian prisoners was located, and the Peruvian forces attacked it, forcing it to run aground on the low shore; only the helmsman of the Colombian vessel perished and the Peruvians were released. After that, a series of skirmishes followed in the attempt of the Peruvians to recover Güepí. The main one of these took place on April 10, 1933, when a sergeant and two Peruvian soldiers died in a clash with the Colombian outposts. ==References==