Cuban Holidays - Anniversary of the Playa Giron Victory
Every year on April 19, the people of Cuba celebrate the anniversary of the victory in Playa Giron, which is associated with the historical events of the 61st year of the last century
After the triumph of the revolutionaries in the period 53-59, America used all its capabilities to suppress the first socialist uprising in the Western Hemisphere
On April 15, 1961, airliners with Cuban insignia and American army pilots began a powerful bombing raid on several Cuban airports As we later found out, this was nothing more than artillery preparation The next day, during the funeral of the murdered residents, Fidel Castro made a message where he called the revolution organized by him and his like-minded people socialist
On the same day, American paratroopers landed on the territory of Playa Giron, tasked with overthrowing Fidel's government And a few hours later, the main US Army arrived - a brigade specially assembled for this operation, consisting of 1,500 professionals: several infantry battalions, an artillery division, airborne and tank detachments, and special forces units The brigade included mercenary military personnel, mainly emigrants from Cuba, who were at one time recruited by the American CIA Subsequently, they received good military training and were sent to Playa Giron to suppress the uprising
In parallel with this, the landing force landed 33 km from Playa Giron, in the town of Playa Larga The attack took place under the cover of American aircraft and ships It would seem that the invaders' successful plan failed due to the decisive rebuff of the revolutionaries under the leadership of Castro Of the nearly 1,400 people who landed on the coast of the Bay of Cochinos, about 1,200 were captured, and all the rest died
On April 19, in a total of three days, the brigade of counter-revolutionaries was completely destroyed Long conversations about the further fate of the prisoners, whom it was initially decided to exchange for construction equipment The negotiations ended with the supply of food and medicine to Liberty Island for a total amount of $53 million
During the events described above, America suffered serious political damage, falling into complete isolation on the world stage, and the Republic of Cuba finally chose a socialist development regime Fidel Castro noted that the battle of Playa Giron prevented history from returning to the old days, and became a real salvation for the revolution
The battle, which ended in victory for the rebels, was written into the history of the country under the name of the landing at the Bay of Pigs In 2001, during a festive ceremony, Castro said that the armed conflict in Playa Giron was the most striking and memorable event in the life of Cubans
Every year on April 19, mass events are held throughout the Republic There are demonstrations in big cities Ceremonies are held in Playa Giron in memory of soldiers who died during military operations Fresh flowers and wreaths are laid at the monuments Cubans themselves consider this date to be a day of pride for their nation After all, the residents clearly demonstrated their unity and power to the entire international society, once again “outdoing” the American imperialists