Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

“Looks Suspicious”: The US Marines <strong>Air</strong> Campaign against <strong>the</strong> S<strong>and</strong>ino Insurgents of Nicaragua 1927-1933
“That <strong>the</strong> friendship of <strong>the</strong> people of any occupied nation should be forfeited by <strong>the</strong>
adoption of any unnecessary harsh measures, is avowedly contrary to <strong>the</strong> policy of <strong>the</strong>
United States.” 159
Despite <strong>the</strong>se warning, Marine tactics were indeed “harsh” <strong>and</strong> alienated much of <strong>the</strong>
peasant population of <strong>the</strong> Segovias. For six years S<strong>and</strong>ino engaged <strong>the</strong> US Marines <strong>and</strong>
<strong>the</strong> Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua (National Guard of Nicaragua) in a bitter guerrilla war.
The Guardia was a creation of <strong>the</strong> US, in which Nicaraguan soldiers were comm<strong>and</strong>ed by
US Marines in <strong>the</strong> fight against S<strong>and</strong>ino. The rules of war did not apply against S<strong>and</strong>ino
<strong>and</strong> his followers since <strong>the</strong>y were classified as “b<strong>and</strong>its” by <strong>the</strong> US. By using this definition,
US policy-makers <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Marines denied <strong>the</strong> political <strong>and</strong> social nature of <strong>the</strong> war or that
<strong>the</strong>re was any legitimacy to S<strong>and</strong>ino’s cause. Despite some debate, American racial <strong>and</strong>
political assumptions would accept no o<strong>the</strong>r definition of S<strong>and</strong>ino. Americans considered
<strong>the</strong> S<strong>and</strong>inistas as criminals out for loot. In <strong>the</strong>ir eyes this b<strong>and</strong>itry had to be suppressed
<strong>and</strong> law <strong>and</strong> order established. The tactics to be applied were not <strong>the</strong> generalised military
tactics which <strong>the</strong> Marine officers were taught at Annapolis, but were specialised rural
pacification or small wars tactics, which <strong>the</strong> Marines learned from <strong>the</strong>ir experiences in
Haiti <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dominican Republic. 160
Both on <strong>the</strong> ground <strong>and</strong> in <strong>the</strong> air, <strong>the</strong> Marines made few distinctions between <strong>the</strong>
S<strong>and</strong>inistas <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> civilian population of <strong>the</strong> Segovias. As Marine General Dion
Williams noted, “a large portion of <strong>the</strong> inhabitants of <strong>the</strong> mountain regions of <strong>the</strong> north
were potential b<strong>and</strong>its.” 161 For Marine aviators, since <strong>the</strong> rural civilian population was
indistinguishable from <strong>the</strong> insurgents, all <strong>the</strong> regular activities of <strong>the</strong> peasants “looked
suspicious” <strong>and</strong> were likely to be attacked. In just one example from <strong>the</strong> daily <strong>Air</strong> Service
reports, which were completed after each patrol, a pilot noted that one house had “about
30 pieces of mens [sic] laundry out. Shots were fired near <strong>the</strong> house but no one was seen.
This area appeared suspicious because of <strong>the</strong> timidity of <strong>the</strong> people.” 162
Thus, thous<strong>and</strong>s of Nicaraguans died <strong>and</strong> many o<strong>the</strong>rs saw <strong>the</strong>ir homes <strong>and</strong> farms
destroyed. The brutality of <strong>the</strong> Marines <strong>and</strong> Guardia contributed to <strong>the</strong> support that
developed for S<strong>and</strong>ino. The results were devastation for <strong>the</strong> Segovias, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> growth
of <strong>the</strong> S<strong>and</strong>inista resistance. Many joined with S<strong>and</strong>ino out of anger at <strong>the</strong> atrocities <strong>and</strong>
also in <strong>the</strong> hope that <strong>the</strong>y <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir families would <strong>the</strong>n be protected from fur<strong>the</strong>r attacks.
Background to War
Nicaragua, a country of about 50,000 square miles, is very similar in size to Engl<strong>and</strong>.
It is <strong>the</strong> largest of <strong>the</strong> Central American countries. Yet in 1920 <strong>the</strong> total population was
only 630,000 people. Nicaragua was primarily agricultural, with <strong>the</strong> production of coffee,
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<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror”