Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuessful attempt by a CIA trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba with support from the U.S. armed forces to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The plan had been launched in April 1961, a few months after JFK became president. The Cuban forces had been trained and equipped by the Eastern Bloc nations, defeated the Cuban exiles.
The the force of Cuban exiles was made up of about 1,300 individuals. While the Cuban government’s force was made up of 25,000 army, 200,000 militia, and 9,000 armed police. The casualties for the Cuban exiles were 118 killed and the rest of the 1201 captured. While the casualties for the Cuban government’s was 176 of the army killed, 4,000-5,000 militia killed, missing, or wounded.
Though the invasion started on April 17, the Cuban exiles planned a diversion near Baracoa, Oriente Province, on the night of April 14/15. The U.S. placed several destroyers off the coast of Cuba to look like an invasion. At dawn the Cuban airforce launched a reconnaissance sortie that crashed into the sea. At 6 a.m. April 15 three groups of bombers were sent by the U.S. to destroy armed aircraft in Cuba for preperation for the invasion. The invasion lasted three days before the U.S. lost.
On the first day of the invasion at 6:30 a.m. the Cuban airforce started attacking U.S. ships still unloading troops. At 7:30 a.m. 177 American paratroopers landed in Cuba and were partially successful at blocking the roads. By noon the Cuban militia succeded at taking a town called Palpite. At 4 p.m. Fidel Castro joined the Cuban forces. On the second day by 10:30 a.m. Cuban forces had taken another town, called Playa Larga. At 5 p.m. U.S. forces attacked a group of 12 buses leading tanks and Cuban troops with bombs and napalm. On the third day, without anymore support the U.S. forces retreated to the beach and were exacuated.
By William