Anniversary of the victory in Playa Giron in Cuba (19/04)

Every year on April 19, Cuba celebrates the memorable date — anniversary of the victory in Playa Giron, dedicated to the events of 1961. The battles that ended in victory for the revolutionaries went down in history as the Bay of Pigs landing (Spanish). Bahía de Cochinos).

After the victory of the Cuban Revolution of 1953-59, the United States tried to use all means (political, economic and military) to stifle the first socialist revolution in the Western Hemisphere.

On April 15, 1961, aircraft carrying Cuban markings and American pilots bombed three airports in Cuba. As it turned out, it was artillery preparation. The next day, at a funeral ceremony for the seven dead Cubans, Fidel Castro gave a fiery speech, calling the revolution he and his comrades committed socialist.

This event was followed on April 16 by a counter-revolutionary pro-American landing in Playa Giron to overthrow the government of F. Castro (Playa Giron, Spanish). Playa Girón — is a settlement in Cochinos Bay on the southern coast of Cuba).

On April 17, 1961, the Americans landed the main forces of the specially formed «brigade 2506» (4 infantry, tank and airborne battalions, a heavy artillery battalion and special forces — for only 1,500 people). The brigade was staffed by — mercenaries primarily from Cuban expatriate counter-revolutionaries, recruited, trained and equipped by the US CIA.

At the same time, the landing began 33 kilometers northwest of Playa Giron, in the Playa Larga area. The invasion was carried out under the cover of US ships and aircraft. The plans of the interventionists were thwarted by the decisive actions of the people's militia, units of the Insurgent Army and cadets of the people's militia school of the city of Matanzas, led by F. Castro. Of the 1,350 interventionists who landed on the shores of Cochinos Bay, 1,173 were captured, the rest were destroyed.

On April 19 (in just 72 hours), the counter-revolutionaries were completely defeated. Long negotiations on the fate of the prisoners, whom they initially wanted to exchange for heavy construction equipment, ultimately ended with the supply of food and medicine worth $53 million to Cuba.

The United States suffered serious political damage, finding itself in complete isolation in the international arena, and Cuba finally chose the socialist path of development. «The Battle of Playa Giron, — emphasized F. Castro, — prevented the history of our country from being turned back to the old days, and saved the revolution».

In 2001, at a ceremony, Fidel Castro stated that «after the victory of the Revolution in 1959, not a single event was as bright in the fate of the Cuban people as the battle of Playa Giron». And on April 19, commemorative events are held throughout the country every year.

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