| Operation Primicia | |
|---|---|
| Part of Dirty War | |
 Entrance to the barracks (1975) | |
| Type | Plane hijacking, shooting, grenade attack |
| Location | Formosa, Argentina |
| Planned by | Raúl Yaguer |
| Target | 29th forest's infantry regiment |
| Date | October 5, 1975 16:25 |
| Executed by | Montoneros |
| Casualties | 28 |
Operation Primicia ("Operation Scoop") was a large guerrilla attack that took place on October 5, 1975, in Formosa, Argentina. It was the largest attack carried out by the paramilitary group Montoneros, which attempted to seize the barracks of the 29th forest's infantry regiment. This attack worsened the Dirty War, and led to the 1976 Argentine coup d'état the following year.[1]
Overview[]
The attack was carried out in five phases. First, Montoneros hijacked a flight of Aerolíneas Argentinas at Corrientes (with 102 passengers and six crew) and redirected it to Formosa. The Formosa International Airport was captured at the same time by Montoneros gunmen already in the province. During this attack they killed a police officer and held 200 hostages. Then, they assaulted the 29th infantry regiment. The surviving gunmen escaped in a Boeing 737-200 and a Cessna 182. The Boeing landed in the countryside near Rafaela, Santa Fe Province, and the Cessna in a ricefield in Corrientes Province.[1][2] The attack was planned by Raúl Yaguer and approved by Montoneros' commanders Mario Firmenich, Roberto Perdía and Roberto Quieto.[1]
Attack on the barracks[]
Montoneros attacked the Regiment facilities on Sunday October 5 at 16:25, the time of the local siesta. Most military personnel were on leave: some of them had a day off and others were sleeping at the military neighbourhood next to the regiment. Montoneros thought that the remaining soldiers, most of them just young conscripts, would join them, but they did not. Ten conscripts died during the attack, and a total of 28 people died during the whole operation.[1] Montoneros expected to seize 200 FAL rifles, but could only take 50.[3]
Consequences[]
The acting president of Argentina at that time was Ítalo Lúder, as Isabel Martínez de Perón had taken a leave of absence. Luder signed three decrees urging the military to "annihilate the subversion". The armed forces were already waging the Operativo Independencia against the subversives ERP in the Tucumán Province. The decree expanded their area of operations to the whole country, as neither the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance nor the police were enough to stop the guerrillas.[4] There was wide support for Lúder to stay as president, but Isabel Perón returned to the presidency.[5] The military deposed her during the 1976 Argentine coup d'état, and continued the Dirty War during the National Reorganization Process. The terrorist organizations, Montoneros and ERP, were eventually defeated. The military fell from power in 1983, and the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (CONADEP) listed several forced disappearances carried out by the military during the conflict with the guerrillas.[1] The late president Néstor Kirchner made a controversial change to the CONADEP report in 2006. He included the gunmen that died during the attacks as victims of state terrorism, allowing their relatives to receive state compensations.[1][6]
References[]
Bibliography[]
- Galasso, Norberto (2011) (in Spanish). Historia de la Argentina, vol. I&II. Buenos Aires: Colihue. ISBN 978-950-563-478-1.
- Laje, Agustín (2011) (in Spanish). Los mitos setentistas. Buenos Aires. ISBN 978-987-26643-0-5.
- Lois, Edgardo (2007) (in Spanish). Morir por Perón. Buenos Aires: Editorial del Nuevo Extremo. ISBN 978-987-1427-00-0.
- Manfroni, Carlos (2012) (in Spanish). Montoneros: Soldados de Massera. Buenos Aires: Sudamericana. ISBN 978-950-07-3799-9.
The original article can be found at Operation Primicia and the edit history here.