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One of the most obscure wars of the 20th Century was that between Ecuador and Peru in 1941. The war involved a land dispute in the Amazon Basin that had been simmering since 1840 (and wasn’t finally settled until a border agreement was signed by the two countries in 1998). On 5 July 1941, the first major action took place and a cease-fire requested on 31 July. As is common in such situations, both sides claimed that the other side started it all and both sides claimed victory in the aftermath.
Ecuador could only muster around 3000 men for its army at the time, while Peru massed between 11,000 and 13,000 men (including an airborne unit and a tank detachment with 12 Czech tanks). Even so, there were no large unit actions before the cease-fire was requested by Ecuador. It took two more wars (1981 and 1995) to get the two parties to a final agreement on the demarcation of the border.
This is Ecuador’s War Cross for the campaign. It’s bronze with "Salve Of Patria/1941" [We Salute You, Our Homeland] in the central surround. The pin-back top bar is inscribed "Cruz de Guerra". The reverse is blank except for a maker’s mark "Guambana/Ecuador".
Ecuador war cross 001.jpgThis must be a very scarce item…the first I’ve seen. The drape obscures the ribbon attachment. Is there a ribbon ring above the condor’s head? The red ribbon seems newer compared to the well used medal. Do we know for sure it’s correct? I just checked Scandaluzzi and the medal is not listed there. Thanks for posting it.
I no longer have this piece, whichis the only one I’ve ever seen as well.
I recall that there was a solid loop above the condor. With no other specimen to compare it to, I can’t be sure that the ribbon is correct. I doubt that it was struck in great quantity. Since the war was over before the logisticians could get them made. I would surmise that only enough were struck to give to the recipients.
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