Bay of Pigs Invasion

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Bay of Pigs Invasion
Part of the Cold War

Cuban soldiers supported by T-34 tanks attacking near Playa Giron. April 19, 1961
Date17–20 April 1961
Location
Bay of Pigs, southern coast of Cuba
Result Decisive Cuban government victory
Belligerents
 Cuba  United States
Cuba Cuban DRF
Commanders and leaders
Cuba Fidel Castro
Cuba José Ramón Fernández
Cuba Juan Almeida Bosque
Cuba Che Guevara[1][2]
Cuba Efigenio Ameijeiras
United States John F. Kennedy
United States Allen Dulles
United States Charles Cabell
Cuba Pepe San Román
Cuba Erneido Oliva
Units involved
Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
National Revolutionary Militia
Brigade 2506
CIA
 U.S. Air Force
Strength
Cuba 25,000 Cuban army[3]
Cuba 200,000 Cuban Militia[3][4]
Cuba 9,000 armed police[3][4] (across the country)
Cuba 1,500 ground forces[A]
8 American B-26 bombers
5 supply ships
Casualties and losses
Cuban Army:
176 killed
500+ wounded[B]
Militia:
2,000 killed and wounded[5]
Brigade 2506:
118 killed
360 wounded[D]
1,202 captured[E]
United States:
4 killed
2 B-26 bombers shot down
2 supply ships lost
Bay of Pigs Invasion is located in North America
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Location within North America

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an attempt in 1961 (during the Cold War) to remove Fidel Castro from power in Cuba. The CIA trained Cuban exiles and these exiles launched an attack in a bay called the Bay of Pigs.

The invasion was a failure and most of the attackers were captured or killed. There were several conflicts that led to this; including a lack of promised air support and a change in where the landing was to be launched. This was one of many unsuccessful attempts by the CIA to rid Cuba of Castro. One interesting fact is that the plan was originally put in motion by Eisenhower, but the attack was ordered by John F. Kennedy who only found out about the plan after his election.

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. Kellner 1989, pp. 69–70. "Historians give Guevara, who was director of instruction for Cuba's armed forces, a share of credit for the victory".
  2. Szulc (1986), p. 450. "The revolutionaries won because Castro's strategy was vastly superior to the Central Intelligence Agency's because the revolutionary morale was high and because Che Guevara as the head of the militia training program and Fernández as commander of the militia officers' school, had done so well in preparing 200,000 men and women for war."
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Szulc (1986)
  4. 4.0 4.1 FRUS X, documents 19, 24, 35, 245, 271.
  5. Quesada 2009, p. 46.