The “Soccer War” was fought between Honduras and El Salvador in 1969 and marked the final conflict between Piston engines Warplanes (including Air to Air conflict).
It’s called the Soccer War because it is generally thought that a World Cup loss was the catalst to start the conflict but it was just the match after years of tension over the number of Salvadoreans illegally crossing the border into Honduras.
The Orbat for the 2 countries was:
El Salvador
Beech T-34A Mentor x 1 – FAS-64
North American SNJ-5 texan x 3 – FAS 72,76,78
Cessna U-17A x 5 – FAS 80-84
Cessna T-41A x 5 – FAS 90-93, 95
Cessna T-41C x 1 – FAS 94
Douglas R4D-1 x 2 – FAS 101-102
Douglas C-47 x 4 – FAS 104-107
Goodyear FG-1D Corsair x 6 – FAS 202-204, 215, 219, 220
Canadair DC-4M x 1 – FAS 300
Cavalier F-51D Mustang II x 5 – FAS 400-401, 403-405
North American P-51D Mustang x 7 – FAS 402, 406-411
Douglas A-26B Invader x 1 – FAS 600
Honduras
Cessna U-17B x 1 – FAH 111
Cessna 185B x 1 – FAH 112
Cessna 180 x 1 – FAH 113
North American BC-1A x 1 – FAH 200
North American SNJ-4 Texan – FAH 202, 205
North American T-6G Texan x 3 – FAH 208, 208, 211
North American T-28A Trojan x 5 – FAH 212-216
Douglas C-47A x 3 – FAH 301, 304, 305
Douglas C-47B x 1 – FAH 307
Douglas C-47D x 1 – FAH 306
Douglas C-53D x 1 – FAH 302
Vought F4U-5NL Corsair x 1 – FAH 600
Vought F4U-5N Corsair x 4 – FAH 601, 605, 606, 609
Vought F4U-5 Corsair x 3 – FAH 603, 604, 607
Vought F4U-4 Corsair x 6 – FAH 611-617
Douglas C-54B x 1 – FAH 795
Sikorsky H-19 x 2
It was basically a draw at the end of the day, but a Honduran Pilot Capitan Fernando Soto scored 3 kills in one day in a Vought F4U-5N Corsair (FAH 609). Losses were Cavalier F-51D Mustang II (FAS 404 Capt Humberto Varela), Goodyear FG-1D (FAS 204 Capt Cezena) and Goodyear FG-1D (FAS 203 Capt Cortez).
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