The following report on the training of Argentine mountain artillery units was originally published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 1, June 18, 1942. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

ARGENTINE MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY TRAINING A demonstration was given by a 75 mm mountain artillery battery; all the men taking part were of the class of 1920 and therefore had been in the service a little over one year. The exercise was held in the foot hills about two miles west of Mendoza. The terrain in this region is very rough and rocky with no vegetation except cactus and small bushes. There are many steep slopes, slides, and chasms. All pack mules were led by men dismounted. One gun was taken in pack to the top of a hill over a narrow, knife-edge ridge which was so steep that dismounted men assisted the mules by hauling on ropes tied to each side of the packs. This gun was eventually placed in position on top of the hill. Another crew hoisted its loads to the top of a cliff by hand, first using rope ladders for the personnel. The loads were then taken across a deep arroyo on a rope cable with pulleys. The personnel was also crossed in this manner and the gun set up on the other side. It was explained that the rope ladders and cables had previously been placed in order to save time. Nearly every pack carried a coil of heavy rope, and several rope cables were also carried. The battery detachment scaled a nearly vertical cliff on foot in the Alpine style to establish an observation post on a high hill. Communication equipment consists of telephone and radio. All these activities were conducted simultaneously. Comments by observer: This demonstration is the best I have seen of Argentine army activities. Although rehearsed many times, as could be seen by the appearance of the ground, it presented a true phase of peace-time garrison training. The troops were in their every-day work uniforms and there was a total lack of parade ground atmosphere. The equipment was well worn but kept in serviceable condition. The guns were clean and working parts oiled. All in all, I was very favorably impressed with the efficiency by all ranks. (M/A Report, Argentina, No. 7809.)

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