The Bolivian Army 1825-1995 History and Orbat
v.1.1 June 30, 2002
The Spanish forces continued to hold out in Upper Peru (present day Bolivia) for over a year after their defeat elsewhere in South America, independence being finally secured by the victory of the nationalists at Tumusla, in April 1825. Bolivia was declared an independent state four months later.
The Bolivian Army initially consisted of 3 battalions of infantry and a regiment each of lancers and artillery.
In 1835, the intervention of Bolivian forces, under Marshal Andrés Santa Cruz, in a civil war in Peru, resulted in a brief confederation of the two countries, although each retained its own distinct armed forces.
Between 1836 and 1839, the confederation came under attack from Chile and Argentina, the Bolivians successfully repelling an Argentine army in 1837/38 although its forces succumbed to a decisive defeat by the Chileans, at Yungay, on January 20th, 1839, the confederation itself breaking up shortly afterwards.
Following the collapse of the confederation, a Peruvian army of 5,400, invaded Bolivia, in October 1841, in an attempt to annexe the Bolivian department of La Paz. This was met at Ingavi, by a Bolivian Army of 4,100, on November 18th, the Peruvians suffering a resounding defeat and the attempt at annexation coming to an abrupt end.
Bolivia lent largely moral support to Peru and Chile in the naval war against Spain of 1865/66 but friction was now developing between Bolivia and Peru, on the one side and Chile, on the other, over the ownership of the mineral-rich provinces of Antofagasta, Tarapaca, Tacna and Arica. Although these territories belonged to Bolivia and Peru, respectively, the exploitation of the new-found mineral wealth was largely in the hands of Chilean citizens.
In 1873 Bolivia and Peru concluded a secret Treaty of mutual defence, a new Bolivian government greatly increasing taxes on Chilean business interests in 1878. In retaliation, Chile despatched a naval squadron to Antofagasta, landing 200 troops on February 14th, 1879. Bolivia, in turn declared war on Chile on March 1st, an action reciprocated by Chile on April 5th. Peru was in due course drawn into the conflict by its alliance with Bolivia.
The Bolivian Army consisted of 690 officers and 2,165 other ranks, organized in 3 infantry battalions and 2 cavalry squadrons and a single battery of artillery, with generally antiquated equipment, the Peruvian Army numbering 5,241 all ranks, its equipment being a mixture of the modern and the obsolete.
The smaller but better-equipped Chilean Army consisted of 405 officers and 2,440 other ranks.
None of the three countries was prepared for war and whilst they were mobilizing their forces any actions were largely confined to encounters between the Chilean and Peruvian Navies, although the Chilean expeditionary force at Antofagasta, reinforced to a strength of 1,400, occupied the ports of Cobija, Tocopilla and Mejillones, penetrating inland as far as Calama, against weak Bolivian resistance.
By the middle of May, the allies had concentrated 9,000 men at Tarapacá, 4,000 at Tacna and a further 7,000 at Arica. By mid October, Chile had over 10,000 men at Antofagasta and on October 28th these embarked on a fleet of 15 transports, taking Pisagua, on the Peruvian coast, by amphibious assault, four days later, after a resolute defence by a Bolivian garrison of 990.
The Chileans now advanced rapidly northwards, a force of 6,000 defeating an allied force of 9,000 at Pozo Dolores on November 19th, as a result of which the Peruvians abandoned Iquique, the garrison joining the survivors of the battle of Dolores at Tarapacá where a total allied army of 5,000 now assembled. A reconnaissance in force by 2,000 Chileans was routed on November 27th, the victorious allies nevertheless retiring towards Tacna.
The Chileans, now reinforced to 17,000, continued to advance towards Tacna and Arica, carrying out an amphibious raid at Ilo on December 31st as a preliminary to a landing by 10,000 men at Pacocha on March 13th 1880 and of a further 3,000 at Vitar, on March 14th. On March 22nd, these forces, scored a crushing victory over 2,000 Peruvians at Torata.
The allies had concentrated a combined force of 10,000, of whom 5,465 were Bolivians, at Alto de la Alianza, north of Tacna and on May 26th the Chileans gained yet another victory, splitting the Bolivian and Peruvian forces, the former retiring towards the Altiplano and the latter in the direction of Arequipa. Following this disaster, the Bolivian Army disintegrated, only 600 survivors returning to the Altiplano and Bolivian forces took no further part in operations.
Lima fell on January 17th, 1881, thus effectively bringing the Pacific War to a close, although guerrilla warfare in the Peruvian interior was to continue for a further two years. Under the Peace Treaty, Bolivia ceded the entire coastal region of Antofagasta to Chile.
During the disastrous war, Bolivia had mobilized 12,172 men and the Army had expanded to 9 battalions of infantry, 5 cavalry squadrons, a regiment of artillery and a battalion of engineers. This force practically dissolved following the defeat of Alto de la Alianza and an army had to be laboriously built up, almost from scratch, in the post-war period.
During the late 1880s, two batteries of Krupp Model 1874 75mm mountain guns were acquired in Argentina, followed several years later by 15,000 Mauser rifles and four batteries of Krupp Model 1898 mountain guns. The Military College, which had disappeared during the period of semi-anarchy between the battle of Ingavi and the outbreak of the Pacific War, was reopened in 1891, first at Sucre, moving later to Oruro and settling finally at La Paz in 1899. An NCO School was also opened the following year. The reorganization and equipment of the Army was however still far from complete when the secessionist movement in the Acre territory broke out in 1900, the Army being able to deploy only three weak battalions in the area which was finally ceded to Brazil in 1903.
Recognizing the many defects of its existing military establishment, the Bolivian Government contracted a small French military mission in 1905. Consisting of only five officers, this mission reorganized the General Staff, hitherto existing in name only and established a Staff College and a Reserve Officers' School. During this period, 4,000 additional Mauser rifles and 1,000 carbines were also acquired, together with 16 Maxim-Nordenfeldt machine-guns. When the French military mission returned home, in 1909, it left behind an efficient army of 300 officers and 4,000 other ranks, organized in 7 battalions of infantry, 1 machine-gun battalion, 2 regiments of cavalry and an artillery battalion, which was increased to a full regiment two years later.
In 1911, a German military mission, consisting of 5 officers and 13 NCOs, under Major Hans Kundt, arrived in Bolivia. Although this mission imposed a superficially Prussian veneer on the Bolivian Army, which impressed observers of military parades and exercises, the actual military efficiency of the Army declined. During this period, five batteries of 75mm Schneider Model MPC 2 mountain guns and two of Model LD field pieces were acquired, permitting the formation of a second artillery regiment. The infantry was reorganized into 6 regiments, of two battalions each and an engineer regiment, with a company each of sappers, telegraphists and railway troops, was formed before the withdrawal of the German military mission, on the outbreak of World War I.
The European War cut off most of Bolivia's sources of equipment supply and curtailed the development of the Army although an unsuccessful attempt to form a School of Military Aviation was made in 1915.
Following the end of the War, Kundt, now a Brigadier General, returned to Bolivia, serving as Chief of Staff of the Army from 1921 to 1926.
A Presidential Decree of January 22nd, 1924 organized the Bolivian Army into Divisions, each of which was to consist of 3 regiments of infantry and one each of cavalry. artillery and engineers. The Army now consisted of 6 regiments of infantry, 2 each of cavalry and artillery and 1 of engineers, with a total personnel strength of approximately 6,000. Additional equipment acquired during the early 1920s included 50 Colt-Browning heavy and 100 Madsen light machine-guns, 8 Semag 20mm anti-aircraft guns and some Bergmann, Vollmer and Schmeisser sub-machine-guns. A military aviation service was also finally established in 1925, after the failure of a second attempt to set up a flying school, five years earlier.
Tension with Paraguay, over the possession of the northern part of the Gran Chaco, was now developing and in 1926 Bolivia signed a contract with Vickers of Great Britain for the provision of impressive quantities of war material. This included 36,000 rifles, 250 heavy and 500 light machine-guns, 196 pieces of artillery of various calibres, 15 aircraft and large quantities of ammunition.
By the end of 1927, personnel strength had increased to 8,600 and three Divisions had been organized, although not all of these were at full establishment. There were by now 9 regiments of infantry and 4 of cavalry although the number of artillery and engineer units remained unchanged. A year later, four more infantry regiments were formed, together with an additional regiment of cavalry, a group of 105mm howitzers and three more regiments of engineers. Six Divisions, of variable composition, were by now also in existence, covering the environs of Oruro and La Paz, the central sector of the Chaco, the eastern bank of the Pilcomayo, the Brazilian frontier in the south-east and the Departments of Beni and Pando.
In December 1928 the first major clash between the Paraguayan and Bolivian Armies occurred when a Paraguayan force attacked and captured Bolivian advanced posts in the region of the Upper Paraguay river, the Bolivians retaliating by capturing Paraguayan installations in the Pilcomayo sector. Attempts at mobilization demonstrated the defects of the military organization of both countries, neither of which was prepared for war and each of which was consequently amenable to diplomatic intervention by neighbouring countries and the League of Nations and an uneasy peace returned.
The growing international economic crisis, with a corresponding decrease in the price of tin, Bolivia's main export, occasioned a curtailment of the Vickers contract, not all of which had yet been fulfilled and the Bolivian Government was only able to negotiate a substantial loan from U.S. bankers on condition that the Army would be reduced to a strength of 4,000. In deference to this, the infantry regiments were each reduced to a single battalion and the artillery regiments to a single group although manpower remained between 5,000 and 6,000, the peacetime establishment of the Divisions being reduced to 2 infantry regiments, a squadron of cavalry and a single field battery.
Bolivian and Paraguayan military penetration of the Chaco had continued. Both sides had established advanced posts on the opposite sides of Lake Pitiantuta, the only major source of fresh water in the central Chaco. Paraguayan forces attacked and captured the Bolivian Fort Mariscal Santa Cruz in mid July 1932, provoking a Bolivian reaction with the capture of the Paraguayan posts at Toledo, Corrales and Boquerón in the Pilcomayo sector. Ultimatums were exchanged and ignored, both sides mobilized and within a month a state of full-scale, if undeclared, war existed between the two countries.
The Bolivian Army, with an establishment of 600 officers and 8,860 other ranks, numbered only 6,418 all told at the outbreak of hostilities of whom only 5,539 were immediately available for service due to leave, detachments etc.. The organization of the Army remained essentially the same as in 1928 with 13-single battalion infantry regiments, 5 regiments of cavalry, 3 of artillery and 4 of engineers, organized into six skeletonised Divisions, of which only the 1,000 man 3rd, with its HQ at Roboré, the 1,200 man 4th, centred on Muñoz and the 600 man 5th, based at Puerto Suárez, were in the Chaco area.
On the eve of the Chaco War the Order of Battle of the Bolivian Army was as follows:-
ARMY HQ:
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Bolivian Army 1932 Ministerio de Guerra Estado Mayor General Consejo Supremo de Guerra Intendencia General de Guerra Arsenal de Guerra Sanidad Militar Escuela de Guerra Colegio Militar Escuela de Clases Escuela Militar de Aviación Escuela de Música Ia División de Ejército (HQ Oruro) covering Departments of Oruro, Potosí and Chuquisaca: R.I. 2 SUCRE R.I. 3 PEREZ R.I. 5 CAMPERO R.C. 3 AROMA R.A. 1 CAMACHO R.A. 3 PISAGUA Total strength was approximately 1200IIa División de Ejército (HQ La Paz): R.I. 7 AZURDUY R.C. 1 AVAROA R.A. 2 BOLIVAR R. Comunic. 1 PANDO Total strength was approximately 1400IIIa División de Ejército (HQ Roboré): R.I. 1 COLORADOS R.I. 12 FLORIDA R.C. 4 INGAVI Bat. de Art. R.Z. 3 PAURCAPATA Total strength was approximately 1000IVa División de Ejército (HQ Muñoz): R.I. 4 LOA R.I. 6 CAMPOS R.I. 8 AYACUCHO R.C. 5 LANZA Bat. de Art. Escn. de Avn. 2 Total strength was approximately 1200Va División de Ejército (HQ Puerto Suárez): R.I. 9 WARNES R.I. 13 QUIJARRO Bat. de Art. R.Z. 4 SUCRE Total strength was approximately 500VIa División de Ejército (HQ Riberalta): R.I. 10 RIOSINHO R.I. 11 BAGUE R.Z. 2 PADILLA Escn. de Hidroviones Total strength was approximately 800The peacetime establishment of the Army was 9460. However, its total strength at the outbreak of the Chaco War was only 6418 of whom 3728 were on the frontier and 2690 on the Altiplano. |
Despite the curtailment of the Vickers contract, 39,000 modern rifles, mostly Czech Mausers, had been delivered, together with 750 Vickers medium and light machine-guns, 64 pieces of modern artillery, 3 Vickers 6 ton tanks and 2 Carden-Lloyd tankettes. This equipment remained largely on the Altiplano for the first four months of the war, the front-line troops being forced to fight with obsolete material and inadequate supplies even of ammunition.
The opposing Paraguayan Army numbered only 3,759, organized in 5 regiments of infantry and 3 of cavalry, 2 groups of artillery and a battalion of engineers and appeared superficially inferior to that of Bolivia both in numbers and equipment. However, whereas Bolivia initially carried out only a partial mobilization, involving the activation of 5 reserve infantry and 1 cavalry regiments and 2 battalions of engineers and the organization of a seventh under-strength Division at Villa Montes, the Paraguayans rapidly and efficiently brought their forces to a strength of 24,000, with three Divisions in the major theatre of operations which developed in the south-west.
Boquerón was retaken after an epic three-week siege in which the Bolivian garrison, outnumbered 20 to 1, surrendered only when their food, ammunition and water supplies were exhausted and the victorious Paraguayan Army pursued the retreating remnants of the Bolivian field army towards Ballivián, Bolivia’s last major toe-hold in the Pilcomayo sector, being held by a desperate rear-guard action at Campo Jordán.
The Bolivian Government now recalled Kundt who had been exiled after some unsuccessful political meddling in 1930 and in December the Bolivian Army, now reorganized into nine Divisions and reinforced to over 12,000, later rising to 25,000, went on the offensive in the region of the Anglican mission at Nanawa, in the south-western Chaco, where static warfare developed until the unexpected success of a Paraguayan probing attack at Pampa Grande turned the Bolivian left flank in September 1933, the Paraguayan initiative culminating in the surrender of over 8,000 members of the Bolivian 4th and 9th Divisions at Campo Via, on December 11th.
Kundt was now dismissed from command and replaced by General Enrique Peñaranda, the Bolivian Army taking advantage of a month-long truce, which followed the battle of Campo Via, to retreat in good order and consolidate new defensive positions at Ballivián.
The war to date had already cost Bolivia 14,000 dead, 32,000 wounded, 10,000 prisoners and 6,000 desertions and the loss of much equipment, including 12,000 rifles, 800 automatic weapons, 25 mortars, which had made their first appearance in Bolivian service in January 1933 and 20 pieces of artillery. To offset these, 45,000 additional rifles, 500 automatic weapons and over 50 additional pieces of artillery were acquired during the December 1933 truce. Strength in the theatre of operations was again built up to 20,000, organized in two Army Corps of two Divisions each.
Static warfare once more developed in the region of Ballivián during the New Year of 1934, an unsuccessful Paraguayan probe around the Bolivian left flank resulting in the encirclement and surrender of part of a Paraguayan division at Cañada Strongest in May. Although relatively insignificant, this was the greatest military reverse suffered by the Paraguayans at any point in the war.
Although the siege of Ballivián continued, a second and stronger Paraguayan advance now penetrated into the Andean foothills, retreating only in the face of strong Bolivian reinforcements which now included a Cavalry Corps of three divisions. Portion of the retreating Paraguayan force was now encircled, exfiltrating the surrounding Bolivian force which itself was surrounded at El Carmen and forced to surrender with heavy casualties when its water supplies ran out on November 15th.
The defeat at El Carmen having exposed their left flank, the Bolivians now abandoned Ballivián, withdrawing towards Villa Montes on the upper Pilcomayo. The Cavalry Corps continued its pursuit of the retreating Paraguayans, suffering a major catastrophe when outflanked by a small Paraguayan task force which captured the source of its water supply at Picuiba. This forced the surrender of 4,000 Bolivians and the disintegration of the Cavalry Corps.
The Paraguayans now made a third probe into the Andean foothills of Bolivia whilst their main force besieged Villa Montes.
A revived Bolivian Cavalry Corps and the 2nd Army Corps forced back the intruders from Bolivia proper whilst the action around Villa Montes had deteriorated into an extraordinary stalemate between a smaller investing force, with limited artillery and extended an tortuous lines of communication and supply and a much larger well supplied defending force, vastly superior in artillery. Both countries were however now exhausted and amenable to the mediation of the South American neutral bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru, together with the United States and an Armistice was signed on June 12th, 1935, hostilities ceasing two days later.
The Chaco War cost Bolivia 57,000 dead out of some 250,000 mobilized and over $200,000,000. The maximum number under arms at any one time was however of the order of 60,000 of whom not more than 50% were ever present in the theatre of operations. Bolivia raised a total of 50 regiments of infantry and 17 of cavalry and the three existing artillery regiments expanded to comprise nine groups, with a total of 54 batteries. These were organized in 10 Infantry and 3 Cavalry Divisions, grouped under 3 Army Corps and a Cavalry Corps. Although the largely Indian soldiers of the Bolivian Army fought with stubborn stoicism, particularly when on the defensive, Bolivian leadership, with few honourable exceptions, varied from the mediocre to the catastrophically inept, the Paraguayans maintaining the initiative for most of the war. Additional quantities of armaments continued to be acquired throughout the War to offset the enormous losses incurred. These included 16 twin-mounted 20mm Oerlikon A/A guns, 10 20mm anti-tank guns, 2,200 Czech ZB.53 heavy and BRNO light machine-guns and 5,000 additional rifles. A total of 70,000 rifles, together with 3,350 machine-guns and 180 mortars were obtained between 1932 and 1935 whilst artillery pieces delivered between 1929 and 1933 comprised 18 75mm Vickers Mk.MM field and 47 Mk.KK mountain guns, 8 105mm Mk.B field and 12 Mk.C mountain howitzers and 30 65mm Mk.E infantry guns. Much of this equipment fell into Paraguayan hands.
Under the conditions of the Armistice, both armies were to be reduced to 5,000 men, Bolivia partially evading this stipulation by reorganising some of the 55,000 demobilized into a "Legion" of military police which was in fact an extension of the Army. In the closing stages of the War, the Bolivian Government had successively contracted a Spanish and a Czech military mission, the effects of both of which were minimal.
During the Armistice, both Bolivia and Paraguay continued the more or less clandestine build up of their respective arsenals. In the case of Bolivia, these acquisitions included 20,000 rifles and 650 light machine-guns obtained from Czechoslovakia during 1937/38, 40 more 20mm Oerlikon A/A guns and a dozen Italian type CV3/33 light tanks. An Italian military mission, active from 1937 until the outbreak of World War II, left little mark apart from the reorganization of the staff college in 1938 and the dissemination of Fascist propaganda.
With the signature of a Peace Treaty between Bolivia and Paraguay in 1938, the restrictions of the Armistice lapsed and the Army was rapidly built up to its full peace establishment, largely retaining its pre-war organization, apart from certain redeployments of units necessitated by the losses of territory as a result of the War. Thus the 3rd Division, formerly covering the central Chaco, now moved its headquarters to Villa Montes, the 4th, stationed in the Pilcomayo sector in 1932, moved its headquarters to Camiri and the 5th changed its HQ from Puerto Suárez to Roboré.
The outbreak of World War II cut Bolivia off from its normal sources of supply although some ammunition was obtained from Argentina. From 1942 onwards U.S. military and aviation missions were active in the country, limited Lend Lease military aid, confined in practice to some Springfield M1903 rifles, M3A1 sub-machine-guns and eight M1A2 37mm anti-aircraft guns and some communications and transport equipment, being also received. In 1943, the establishment of the Army was increased to 15,000.
With the end of World War II and particularly following Bolivia's signature of the Rio Treaty of 1947, quantities of Garand M1 rifles and Browning 0.30 inch calibre M1919 and 0.50 inch calibre M2 machine-guns were obtained, together with considerable additional motor transport and communications equipment and small quantities of M116 75mm and M2A1 105mm howitzers. Rumours of the acquisition of numbers of M3A1 light tanks and half-track APCs during this period remain unsubstantiated, the only AFVs noted in service being the Fiat-Ansaldo CV3/33 tankettes which were withdrawn from service in the late 1940s.
Following the 1952 Revolution, the Army ceased to exist for a short period, being replaced by Peoples’ Militias. The inefficiency of this arrangement rapidly became obvious and within a matter of weeks the Army was re-established.
During the immediate post-revolutionary period, the civic role of the Army increased enormously, the 12th Infantry Regiment at Santa Cruz being specifically charged with opening up the frontier area, with the title of "Regimiento Colonial". Additional engineer units were also formed. The military development of the Army however remained semi static during this period.
In 1957, the Air Force became completely independent of the Army, assuming responsibility for air defence, including the operation of the anti-aircraft artillery units. At about this time two new Divisions were formed, the eight Army Divisions now having their respective headquarters at Viacha, Oruro, Villa Montes, Camiri, Roboré, Riberalta, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.
Following the Cuban Revolution, Bolivia became a prime target for communist-inspired subversion and a Special Forces Instruction Centre was established at Cochabamba, with a demonstration paratroop battalion. Subsequently, a Ranger School was established at Santa Cruz, with U.S. instructors, three battalions of Rangers being formed. These troops played an important part in the interception of Ernesto "Ché" Guevara's guerrilla group by units of the 8th Division in October 1967. Increased U.S. military aid during this period included quantities of M40A1 RCLs and 4.2 inch mortars. During this period also, the 17th and 19th Infantry Regiments became specialized Andean units, the 23rd becoming a motorized unit, followed by the 26th.
Equipment received during the late 1960s and early 1970s included the first 18 of an ultimate total of 60 M113 APCs and 12 Cadillac-Gage V-706 armoured cars, with which the 1st TARAPACA armoured Regiment was established at Viacha. A battery of 75mm Bofors Model 1935 field guns was also transferred by Argentina in 1971, together with quantities of FN FAL rifles and MAG machine-guns and the Swiss Sig 510 rifle began to replace the M1 as the main infantry weapon. Further purchases from Switzerland included Sig 710 machine-guns and 30 Mowag Roland wheeled APCs, large quantities of motor transport equipment, rumoured to include as many as 1,500 units, being ordered in Brazil in the late 1970s, together with 20 EE-9 Cascavel armoured cars and 10 EE-11 Urutú APCs. Finally, 50 Kürassier tank-destroyers were ordered in Austria and with the delivery of the new armoured equipment the TARAPACA Armoured Regiment was split into two battalions, the first retaining the designation TARAPACA and the second being named TOPATER. The three Ranger Battalions were also absorbed into the 12th and 24th Infantry Regiments, which now became ranger units. During the late 1970s/early 1980s, quantities of German G3 and Israeli Galil rifles have been acquired, together with Uzi sub-machine-guns.
A major reorganization of the Army, in the late 1970s, involved the creation of two additional Divisions and the change of the HQ of the 2nd Division from Oruro to Challapata. This tactical organization sought to superimpose a Corps structure on these Divisions. There were ultimately to be four Army Corps, as follows:-
Army Corps I (HQ Oruro), already partially formed, was to combine the 1st Division (HQ Viacha) with the 2nd Division (HQ Challapata) and the 10th Division, still in process of formation, with its HQ at Tupiza.
Army Corps II (HQ Santa Cruz), which was also partially formed, was intended to combine the 3rd Division (HQ Villamontes) with the 4th Division (HQ Camiri) and the 5th Division (HQ Roboré).
Army Corps III, still in process of formation, was ultimately to combine the 7th Division (HQ Cochabamba) with the 8th Division (HQ Santa Cruz).
Army Corps IV, also incomplete, was scheduled to combine the 6th Division (HQ Riberalta) with a new 9th Division (HQ Trinidad).
The composition of the Divisions was not standard, the ten Divisions existing in the early 1980s being made up as follows:-
1st Division (HQ Viacha) with the 1st COLORADOS Infantry, 5th LANZA Andean and 23rd MAX TOLEDO Motorized Regiments, the 4th INGAVI Cavalry Regiment, the 1st TARAPACA Armoured Battalion, the 2nd BOLIVAR Artillery Regiment and the 2nd GENERAL ROMAN Engineer Battalion.
2nd Division (HQ Challapata) with the 3rd PEREZ Infantry, 17th ILLIMANI Andean and 24th MENDEZ ARCOS Ranger Regiments, the 2nd TOPATER Armoured Battalion and the 1st CAMACHO Artillery Regiment.
3rd Division (HQ Villamontes) with the 20th PADILLA, 27th CAMPOS and 33rd CHOROLQUE Infantry Regiments.
4th Division (HQ Camiri) with the 11th BOQUERON Infantry Regiment, the 2nd AVAROA Cavalry Regiment and the 3rd BULLAIN Artillery Regiment.
5th Division (HQ Robore) with the 7th WARNES Infantry and the 6th CASTRILLO Cavalry Regiments.
6th Division (HQ Riberalta) with the 9th JORDAN Infantry Regiment and the 4th ALTO DE LA ALIANZA and 6th RIOSINHO Engineer Battalions.
7th Division (HQ Cochabamba) with the 2nd SUCRE Infantry Regiment, the 19th MURILLO Andean Regiment and the 26th RENE BARRIENTOS Motorized Regiments, the CITE Parachute Battalion of the Centro de Instrucción de Tropas Especiales and the 5th OVANDO Engineer Battalion.
8th Division (HQ Santa Cruz) with the 12th MANCHEGO Ranger Regiment, the 8th BRAUN Cavalry Regiment and the 1st PANDO Engineer Battalion.
9th Division (HQ Trinidad) still in process of formation, with the 2nd BALLIVIAN Cavalry Regiment as its only embodied unit.
10th Division (HQ Tupiza) still in process of formation, with the 4th LOA Infantry and the 7th CHICHAS Cavalry Regiments as its only embodied units.
There were thus 17 Infantry Regiments (including 2 Motorized, 3 Andean and 2 Ranger), 6 Cavalry and 3 Artillery Regiments, plus 1 Paratroop, 2 Armoured and 5 Engineer Battalions.
From the late 1970s to the mid 1980s the Bolivian Army remained organized in four Army Corps, comprising a total of ten Divisions. As only three of the ten Divisions ever approached their full establishment the Corps organization was abandoned during the early 1980s and the existing units consolidated into nine Divisions (1st to 8th inclusive and 10th) and a number of units at Army level. More recently the 9th Division was revived, the Army regained control of anti-aircraft artillery from the Air Force, new units were formed and most of the existing units were renamed and/or redeployed so that the Order of Battle of the Bolivian Army in the mid 1990s looked like this:-
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 1 (HQ Viacha)
R.I. 1 COLORADOS (La Paz)
R.I. 5 LANZA (Guaqui)
R.I. 22 CHUQUISACA (Achacachi)
R.I. (Mec.) 23 MAX TOLEDO (Viacha)
R.C. (Mec.) 4 INGAVI (La Paz)
B.Bl. 1 TARAPACA (El Alto)
B.Tanques 3 CALAMA (Patacamaya)
R.A. 2 BOLIVAR (Viacha)
Agpn.D/A 101 (EL Alto)
B.P.M. 1 (La Paz)
CGM (Centro General de Abastecimiento y Mantenimiento) 1 (La Paz)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 2 (HQ Oruro)
R.I. 3 PEREZ (Potosí)
R.I. 14 (Andino Escuela) TOCOPILLA (Coraguará de Carangas)
R.I. 16 MEJILLONES (Corque)
R.I. (Andino) 17 ILLIMANI (Huachacalla)
R.I. (Ranger) 24 TENIENTE MENDEZ ARCOS (Challapata)
B.Bl. 2 TOPATER (Oruro)
R.A. 1 CAMACHO (Oruro)
Agpn.D/A 202 (Oruro)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 3 (HQ Villamontes)
R.I. 5 CAMPERO (Ybybobó)
R.I. 21 PADILLA (Tarija)
R.I. 25 AGUARAGUE (Carandaití)
R.C. 3 AROMA (Campo Pajoso)
R.A. 6 PAREDES (Villamontes)
B.Ing. 33 CHOROLQUE (Tarija)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 4 (HQ Camiri)
R.I. 6 CAMPOS (Boyuibé)
R.I. 31 BOQUERON (Camiri?)
R.I. 32 ARCE (Charagua)
R.C. 1 AVAROA (Choretí)
R.A. 3 BULLAIN (Cuevo)
B.Ing. (-) 66 (Camiri)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 5 (HQ Roboré)
R.I. 12 FLORIDA (Abapó)
R.I. 15 SANTA CRUZ (Ravelo)
R.I. 29 JUNIN (Roboré)
R.I. 30 (San Matías)
R.C. 6 CASTRILLO (Pto. Suárez)
R.A. 5 VERGARA (Roboré)
B.Ing. 44 (Suárez Arana)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 6 (+) (HQ Trinidad)
R.I. 11 BAGE (Riberalta)
R.I. 13 QUIJARRO (Baupés)
R.I. 20 JORDAN (Trinidad)
R.C. 2 BALLIVIAN (Trinidad)
R.A. 8 MENDEZ (Trinidad)
B.Ing. 4 ALTO DE LA ALIANZA (Riberalta)
B.Ing. 6 (Cobija)
CIOS (Centro de Instrucción de Operaciones en la Selva) (Trindad)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 7 (HQ Cochabamba)
R.I. 2 SUCRE (Sucre)
R.I. (Mec.) 26 RENE BARRIENTOS (Cochabamba)
R.I. (Andino) 33 CAPITAN VICTOR USTARES (Cliza)
B.Tanques 4 VICTORIA (Colomi)
R.A. (Escuela) 7 PINTO (Cochabamba)
CITE (Centro de Instrucción de Tropas Especiales) (Cochabamba)
Arsenal Central (Cochabamba)
AMA (Area de Mantenimiento y Abastecimiento) 2 (Cochabamba)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 8 (HQ Santa Cruz)
R.I. 7 AZURDUY (Montero)
R.I. (Mec.) 9 WARNES (Guabira)
R.I. (Ranger) 27 MANCHEGO (Santa Cruz)
R.C. 8 BRAUN (Santa Cruz)
R.A. 9 MITRE (Santa Cruz)
Agpn.D/A 404 (Santa Cruz)
B.Ing. 1 PANDO (Santa Cruz)
AMA (Area de Mantenimiento y Abastecimiento) 3 (Santa Cruz)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 9 (HQ Apolo)
R.I. 8 AYACUCHO (Apolo)
R.I. 10 RIOSINHO (San Buenaventura)
R.I. 18 SAAVEDRA (Charazani)
R.I. (And.) 19 MURILLO (Apolo)
R.A. 10 FLORES (Apolo)
B.Ing. 55 (Apolo)
DIVISION DE EJERCITO 10 (HQ Tupiza)
R.I. 4 LOA (Tupiza)
R.I. 28 ANTOFAGASTA (Uyuni)
R.C. 7 CHICHAS (Tupiza)
R.A. 12 AYOHUMA (Tupiza)
B.Ing. (-) 66 (Tupiza)
Notably most of the units which existed at the outbreak of the Chaco War in 1932 had regained their historic titles.