Dominican Civil War

Dominican Civil War
Part of the Cold War

American soldiers engaged in a firefight while a child takes cover under a jeep for protection in Santo Domingo on May 5, 1965.
Date24 April 1965 – 3 September 1965
(4 months, 1 week and 3 days)
Location
Result

Loyalist victory

  • Ceasefire declared
  • Formation of the provisional government for new elections
  • Deposition of Juan Bosch of the presidency ratified
  • Organization of presidential elections in 1966 under international supervision
  • Election of Joaquín Balaguer as the new president
  • Establishment of the Fourth Dominican Republic on July 1, 1966
Belligerents
Loyalist faction
 United States

Constitutionalist faction

Commanders and leaders
Elías Wessin y Wessin
Antonio Imbert Barrera
Lyndon B. Johnson
Robert McNamara
Bruce Palmer
Juan Bosch
Francisco Caamaño
Rafael T. Fernandez Dominguez
Ilio Capocci
Strength
Loyalists:
2,200 regulars
12 AMX-13 light tanks
24 L-60 light tanks
13 Lynx armoured cars
1 frigate
4+ fighters
United States:
6,924 Marines
12,434 82nd Airborne
Unknown number of M48 Patton main battle tanks
Constitutionalists:
1,500 regulars
5,000 armed civilians
5+ light tanks
Casualties and losses

Dominican Republic:

  • 500 regulars killed
  • 325 police killed
  • 5 light tanks captured
  • 2 P-51 Mustang fighters shot down

United States:

  • 47 dead (9 Marines and 18 82nd Airborne killed)
  • 283 wounded or injured
  • 1 M50 Ontos damaged

IAPF:

  • 11 wounded
600 regulars killed
unknown armed civilians killed
5 light tanks destroyed
1 cargo ship damaged
6,000 Dominican casualties and 350 U.S. casualties
The Inter-American Peace Force (IAPF) was designed as a peacekeeping force and thus is not considered a war participant.

The Dominican Civil War (Spanish: Guerra Civil Dominicana), also known as the April Revolution (Spanish: Revolución de Abril), took place between April 24, 1965, and September 3, 1965, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It started when civilian and military supporters of the overthrown democratically elected president Juan Bosch ousted the militarily installed president Donald Reid Cabral from office. The second coup prompted General Elías Wessin y Wessin to organize elements of the military loyal to the dictator Reid ("loyalists"), initiating an armed campaign against the "constitutionalist" rebels.

Allegations of communist support for the rebels led to a United States invasion (codenamed Operation Power Pack), which later transformed into an Organization of American States occupation of the country by the Inter-American Peace Force. Although ostensibly neutral, U.S. civilian and military leaders deployed troops in a way that aided the anti-Bosch forces. Elections were held in 1966, in the aftermath of which Joaquín Balaguer was elected. Later in the same year, foreign troops departed from the country.