Battle of Cuiaba (Napoleon's World)

The Battle of Cuiaba (part of Operation Backdoor) was a 114-hour military engagement in and around the Brazilian city of Cuiaba from July 18-23, 1982. The battle successfully dislodged a Brazilian garrison in Cuiaba and captured the city, placing it in rebel hands in the first 30 hours of the operation. The Republicanos and US Army Rangers assigned to Cuiaba thereafter fended off an 84-hour siege of the city and a three-pronged counterattack, including air support, by the Brazilian army before cementing control of the city and its roads. The battle was a decisive victory for the Allies and was regarded as a sign that the Shannon administration could safely begin designing an exit plan to remove American soldiers from Brazilian soil.