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Anthony’s NotesA personal field guide
From the notebook

Bay of Pigs

Eisenhower & Nixon

  • didn’t like what they saw in Cuba concerning communism and a dictatorship
  • Created plans to topple Castro
  • Eisenhower green-lit small scale attempts but all failed
  • Dulles had succeeded in 1954 in Guatemala
  • August of 1960: Allocated $13.1 million to Alan Dulles and the CIA earmarked for overthrow

Dulles plan was an invasion that wasn’t an invasion

  • Used Cuban Army refugees ‘Brigade 2506’
  • 1400 people
  • 8 B-26 bombers, Small arms
  • Train in Guatamala
  • Scheduled April 1961; months after Eisenhower left office, assuming Nixon was in office
  • Funny side: Kennedy gained in popularity during the campaign for calling for tough sanctions on Cuba, while Eisenhower had to remain silent about his plans

Kennedy

  • Initially planned to invade in the town of Trinidad
    • Great location but didn’t have runway for B-26’s
    • Kennedy wanted a more remote location
  • April 4th; Kennedy approved a modified plan known as Operation Zapata
  • CIA investigated if they had support of the Cuban people; everyone was enthusiastic supporters of Castro

The Invasion

April 14 1961

  • Set sail from Nicaragua
  • 1400 men
  • 5 Smallish freighters

April 15th

  • B-26 destroying three different airfields and handful of aircraft; 1 shot down

April 16th: The Phony War

  • Unsuccessful landing along coast
  • Divert Cuban forces
  • In evening
    • Small invasion Flotilla assembled
    • 40 miles south of Bay Of Pigs (Rendezvous Point Zulu)
    • 5 freighters met
    • Met with two naval LCLs
    • US Naval Task Force 818 was waiting
      • Not insignificant
      • 11 destroyers
        • USS Boxer
        • USS San Marcos
        • USS Sangrila
        • Submarines
          • USS Cobbler
          • USS Threadfin

April 17th: Invasion Day

  • USS San Marcos brings the invasion crafts up the three mile territorial limit
  • Mock CIA landing at Bahia Honda at first light
    • Gigantic loud speakers mimicking an invasion
    • Took Castro and his forces away for a bit and fooled them
  • 1AM: Main assault launched at Playa Giron, at the mouth of the bay
  • Troubles with fiberglass landing boats
    • Engine trouble
    • Damaged by granite hard reefs (CIA thought they were seaweed)
    • Local militia gave a warning to Castro before offering token resistance and then surrendering
  • Castro was awoken at 3:15AM and placed all militia on high alert and Air Force to attack
  • at 6:30AM, the men unloading at Playa Giron encountered the full might of the Cuban Air Force
    • Real shitty air force yet effective
    • Taking down Houston ship and losing arms and supplies for invasion
  • 7AM: Two B-26 bombers sink Cuban Navy patrol escort
  • 8:30AM: All invasion on shore and tanks
  • Lost contact between Playa Giron and Playa Larga
  • 177 paratroppers landed
  • Cuban Air Force take out Rio Escondido
  • 11AM: Fidel Castro addressed his island about the invasion
  • Thousands of militia fighters were making way to Playa Giron
  • Cuban T-33 shot down one B-26 and damaged another
  • B-26 hit Playa Larga was hit hard causing heavy casualties
  • 2:30PM: Brigade Tanks overran militia positions inflicting very heavy losses
  • T-33 shots down 2 more B-26 bombers
  • 9PM: Osvaldo Ramirez executed
  • B-26 - 2 mechanical issues + couldn’t find targets
  • Two last supply ship Captains realized they bet on the wrong horse and decided to cut their losses and sailed away

Retrospective

  • The battle had been lost before it had begun
  • Cuban people supported Castro
  • Invasion could of succeed if it had: Air Cover
  • The US cover was gone when a B-26 Raiders retuned and landed at Miami Airport with its new paint job
  • Kennedy knew that that world knew that some American pilots were flying these supposedly counter-revolutionary airstrikes
  • Two days before the invasion, Kennedy withdraw US Navel air cover upon which the entire Bay of Pigs invasion hung
  • Two of the Essential conditions for success had not been met
    1. Support of the Cuban People
    2. Air cover
  • Unconscionable decision: To allow the invasion to continue at all.
    • 1400 brave Cuban Patriots went ashore on April 17th with the assurance that American air power if it was needed. At the end of that first day, the Houston and the Rio Escondido and half the B-26. Those Cuban Air Force trainer aircraft would of been easy pickings for the US Air Force aviators

April 18th

  • Significant Cuban ground forces
  • Brigadistas low on supplies and ammunition
  • Tank battle
  • 2PM: Kennedy telegram from Krushchev
    • Threatening nuclear war
  • Clear invasion had vailed catastrophically
  • Kennedy ordered to survive stragglers off coast of Cuba

The End

  • 67 Cuban exiles from Brigade 2506 were killed in action
  • 10 more executed by firing squad after surrender
  • 10 died trying to escape by sea
  • 9 more POWs died in sealed truck in the heat
  • 4 died by accident
  • 2 died in prison
  • 10 Cuban exile air crew died when shot down by Cuban Air Force as did 4 volunteer American aviators
  • Cuban losses totaled 2000 KIA
  • All of the 1179 men would be put on trial and convicted of treason and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
  • Brokered deal with Castro to exchange them for $53 million in food and medical supplies
  • Kennedy came to Miami and welcomed by the Brigade 2406; and had to be held in the Orange Bowl due to the crowds.
    • Turned to the men he abandoned and told them “Welcome Home”

Links:
Part 7: Playa Giron | The Daily Wire