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Siege of Naco

Siege of Naco
Part of the Escobar Rebellion
Mexican Army In Trenches Siege of Naco Sonora 1929.JPG
Federal forces positioned in a trench during the siege.
Date March 31–April 6, 1929
Location Naco, Sonora, Mexico
Result Government victory
Belligerents
Mexico Mexican Government Escobar rebels

The Siege of Naco was a major battle fought in the border town of Naco, Sonora, Mexico, between March 31 and April 6, 1929, during the Escobar Rebellion. Following their capture of Cananea in 1928 and the drafting of the "Plan of Hermosillo", rebel forces under the command of General José Gonzalo Escobar occupied Agua Prieta and from there moved to take control of Naco, which at the time was a small, dusty village opposite of Naco, Arizona, occupied by government forces loyal to President Emilio Portes Gil. The rebels hoped to fund the revolution using the revenue generated by Naco and Agua Prieta, where there was a significant amount of public support for their cause.

Both factions hired American mercenaries who could pilot a biplane and drop bombs. On March 29, American pilots fighting for the rebels dropped leaflets over Naco, Sonora, warning the citizens of the coming battle. A few days later, on March 31, the rebel attack on Naco began with a train car loaded with explosives and sent whirling down the tracks to explode in the center of town. However, the train car derailed prematurely and exploded without hitting its intended target. After this failed, rebel pilots dropped improvised aerial bombs on the Federals, and even managed to wound several American bystanders watching the battle from their side of the border.

At 7:45 AM on April 2, an Irish pilot named Patrick Murphy mistakenly dropped two bombs on the Arizona side of the international border, while bombing targets on the Sonora side. One window was shattered and a man received a minor injury in what became the first aerial bombardment of the contiguous United States by a foreign power in American history. Additional bombs landed on the Arizona side of the border over the following days, prompting the United States Army to send in Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Huachuca and warplanes from Texas to protect Naco, Arizona, from further harm.


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