Atlas of Battles

battle, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Ocotal

Battle of Ocotal was a battle fought on 16 July 1927 at Ocotal, in what is now Nicaragua. It was part of the Banana Wars, which ran from 1898 to 1934. The recorded result: American-Nicaraguan victory. Recorded strength: 37 US Marines; 47 Nicaraguan National Guards; 7 aircraft against 500–600 guerrillas.

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Fort Ocotal during the United States occupation of Nicaragua.
Fort Ocotal during the United States occupation of Nicaragua.. United States Marine Corps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought16 July 1927
WhereOcotal, Nicaragua13.632N, 86.470W
OutcomeAmerican-Nicaraguan victory
BelligerentsUnited States; NicaraguaagainstSandinistas
Part ofBanana WarsUnited States occupation of Nicaragua

Where it sits in the Banana Wars

Battle of Masaya, 1912Battle of Coyotepe Hill, 1912Battle of Fort Riviere, 1915Battle of Port-au-Prince, 1919Battle of Port-au-Prince, 1920Battle of La Paz Centro, 1927Battle of Ocotal, 1927Battle of San Fernando, 1927Battle of Santa Clara, 1927Battle of Telpaneca, 1927Battle of La Flor, 192819121928Battle of Ocotal, 1927
11 placed engagements of the Banana Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date16 July 1927
PlaceOcotal, Nicaragua
13.632N, 86.470W
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength37 US Marines; 47 Nicaraguan National Guards; 7 aircraft500–600 guerrillas
Casualties and losses9 killed & wounded; (according to Beckett); 1 killed; 5 wounded; (according to Nalty)40–80 killed; (according to Beckett); 56 killed; 100 wounded; (according to Nalty)
Commanders
  • Ross E. Rowell
  • Augusto César Sandino
Battle of OcotalBattle of OcotalBattle of La FlorBattle of NAMASIGUEBattle of La FlorBattle of NAMASIGUETegucigalpaLeónChinandegaMatagalpaCholutecaComayaguaJuticalpaEstelí100 km13.632N, 86.470W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1927

Battle of Ocotal is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 18 in present-day Nicaragua.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4438362, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Ocotal, revision 1376843387, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.