Thirst is a powerful sensation. War is a powerful multi-sensorial experience that can be further heightened when soldiers find themselves in an alien environment. It was however thirst that was without a doubt the most tormenting sensation a soldier had to endure before he eventually succumbed to the 'white death'. Faced with challenging conditions of the region, army officials realized right from the start that 'the clue of the Chaco is in the hands of the Indians' and that their troops could not solely rely on water being transported to military outposts from outside Chaco. Being trapped inside Chaco scrubland, this 'prison of plants' with its thorns and deadly diseases, instilled soldiers with a dread of being 'devoured by the jungle' that mixed with the constant fear of being hit by enemy artillery fire. On the eve of war, the Paraguayan and Bolivian armies had arrived with trucks and carts. Yet, despite their modern technologies, the soldiers struggled to survive.