The preparation for the United States invasion of Managua by the military of Colombia was meticulous beyond all measure. Over a period of multiple weeks, the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade entrenched themselves so deeply into the core of the island’s misty jungle that, from the deck of the USS Nevada, it seemed as though not a single tangible enemy lurked on the island.

The attempted invasion of Managua lasted four full days, in which extensive fire was exchanged both on the island and along the coast of Nicaragua between the Pacific and Colombian fleets. Coordinated bombardments by Nimitz’s command were frequent through the first two days of the battle in the bay, allowing for a significant number of US marines to make landfall near Las Flores, on the easternmost portion of the island. However, just before support artillery could be chartered to the coast, barrages of Colombian artillery fire lit the organizing force ablaze, quickly forcing the marine forces to abandon any idea of heavy weapons support. Before US forces could reorganize the supply of their own artillery, the Colombian 3rd Brigade descended down the Masaya, waging full armed combat against the beraggled US ground forces. Guerilla combat on the island continued for two days as the US army attempted to secure a landing zone for heavy weapons support, but the attempts ultimately proved fruitless as the air force of Colombia scrambled the island into the night of the first day of combat. Torpedo bombers and an assortment of fighters — including expeditionary forces from the State of Georgia — peppered the Pacific Fleet alongside the miserly Colombian navy until a callback was ordered by Admiral Nimitz. A majority of the ground forces of the United States managed a rapid overnight escape on the 19th with the surviving landing craft that had been beached three days prior, but the US War Bureau estimates that 215 unaccounted for men have found themselves capture.

After realizing the state of the Pacific Fleet during the returnal voyage to Honolulu, Nimitz ordered the navy regroup in California for emergency repairs. The entire invasion force retreats to Los Angeles Bay (PC001).

PACIFIC FLEET LOSSES

COLOMBIAN LOSSES

[COLOMBIA SUSTAINS NO TERRITORIAL CHANGES, BUT SUFFERS 750 CIVILLIAN CASUALTIES. COLOMBIA ALSO CAPTURES 215 AMERICAN INFANTRYMEN AND MARINES]