State of Ecuador

The 1941 War with Peru

The 1941 war against Peru was for Ecuador a brief but devastating conflict. Poorly prepared, with an under-equipped army and divided politics, the country suffered rapid defeats in Zarumilla and Puerto Bolívar. The armistice, signed under international pressure, forced Quito to cede territory and accept a humiliating partial demilitarization of the southern border.

Domestic Radicalization

Ecuadorian society was left marked by a sense of betrayal and decline. The liberal government of Carlos Arroyo del Río was accused of cowardice and corruption, while nationalist groups and war veterans became radicalized. In the cafés of Quito and Guayaquil, authoritarian nationalist literature and propaganda began circulating, inspired by European fascism, particularly Italy and Nazi Germany.

The 1943 Coup

In 1943, a group of young officers led by Colonel Eduardo Villacís carried out the August 28 Coup. Though officially proclaiming a “military nationalism of salvation,” in practice they established a crypto-fascist regime: khaki uniforms, martial salutes, stylized patriotic symbols, exaltation of the army, and a cult of mestizaje as a unifying national identity.

Alliance with Nazi Germany

The new government immediately sought international allies to break isolation and modernize the army. Nazi Germany, eager to expand influence in South America and secure strategic points in the Pacific, agreed to support Ecuador in exchange for privileged access to ports like Manta and Esmeraldas, as well as covert use of the Galápagos Islands for naval and air bases.

In 1944, German military advisors arrived, bringing:

• Refitted Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters for tropical conditions.
• 88 mm anti-aircraft artillery.
• Type II coastal submarines.

The Ecuadorian army was reorganized under German doctrine, with specialized mountain units for the Andes and light motorized brigades for the coast.

The Condor League

Villacís’ regime integrated itself into the Condor League, an informal network of South American authoritarian governments sympathetic to the Axis. Though Ecuador did not officially enter World War II, it served as a logistical and intelligence base, allowing Germany to project its shadow across the South American Pacific.