Playa Girón, Cuba, Apr 19 (Prensa Latina) Cuba commemorates today the 59th anniversary of the military victory over an invading mercenary force of 1,500 men, equipped, trained and financed by the United States Government.
This coastal town, located south of the western province of Matanzas and 220 kilometers southeast of Havana, was the last redoubt of the invaders (the so-called 2506 brigade), due in less than 72 hours.
Girón is located in the Ciénaga de Zapata, the largest wetland in the insular Caribbean, the scene of those combats, which transpired as the first great military defeat of the United States in America and a significant page in the history of Cuba.
Since January 1, 1959, after the seizure of power on the island by the guerrilla forces led by Fidel Castro, the US administration viewed with extreme displeasure the measures adopted by the leaders of the nascent revolutionary state.
Washington began to pressure and economically attacks Cuba, with extreme decisions to drown the Caribbean nation such as the cancellation of the sugar quota, prohibition of exporting spare parts, in addition to suppressing the supply of oil.
As a colophon, the rulers of the Union implanted a rigorous and iron economic blockade still in force, which prevents trade with the largest of the Antilles.
In March 1960, then-President Dwight Eisenhower ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to finance, recruit, and train a force of Cuban exiles to invade the island.
The troop, which imitated the amphibious assault units of the northern country’s army, received the nickname of Brigade 2506, which incorporated modern equipment such as armored vehicles, automatic weapons, and some thirty aircraft.
After several analyzes, the CIA chose as a territory for the incursion a strip of beach in the Cienaga de Zapata, a region with a small population and few access roads.
The Pentagon and the Central Intelligence agreed to name this Operation Pluto, whose objective was, after the landing, to isolate the area, establish a beachhead and form a ‘government’ to call in aid to US troops.
The invasion began at dawn on April 17, 1961 by Playa Larga, in the upper arch of the Bay of Pigs, and by Playa Girón, on the right flank of the roadstead.
The invaders arrived from Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, in five artillery merchant ships, two LCI war units, three LCU barges for transporting and disembarking heavy equipment, and four LCVP launches for loading and moving personnel.
After bloody fighting that day, the Cuban forces, led by Fidel Castro from the scene of the events, crushed the stream and liberated Playa Girón, the last enemy stronghold on April 19.
The attacking force had a total of 88 dead and 1,197 prisoners, while on the Cuban side 155 fighters fell with an undetermined number of wounded.
The territory of the Zapata swamp, the scene of those combats in April 1961, is a symbol of Cuba’s decision to set its own destiny.
Source: PLEnglish
