Bay of Pigs Invasion

The invasion originated from Eisenhower administration plans to overthrow Castro using Cuban exiles trained in Guatemala and Nicaragua. The CIA’s Operation Zapata planned to land Brigade 2506, a force of 1,400 Cuban refugees, at the Bay of Pigs on Cuba’s southern coast while supporting air strikes eliminated Castro’s air force.

Kennedy inherited the operation but reduced air support, fearing obvious American involvement. On April 15, six B-26 bombers flown by Cuban exile pilots attacked Cuban airfields, destroying several aircraft but failing to eliminate Castro’s air capabilities. The limited strikes allowed Cuban forces to prepare defenses.

The main invasion began April 17 with paratroopers seizing strategic points while the brigade landed at Playa Girón and Playa Larga. Castro’s forces, commanded by José Ramón Fernández, quickly mobilized with superior numbers and air support from remaining aircraft including T-33 jets and Sea Fury fighters.

By April 18, Brigade 2506 faced overwhelming resistance. Kennedy refused additional air support, maintaining plausible deniability while the invasion collapsed. Cuban forces captured over 1,100 exiles within 72 hours, with casualties exceeding 100 killed and wounded on both sides.

The failed invasion had profound consequences for Cold War dynamics. Castro declared Cuba’s socialist orientation and sought closer Soviet ties, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The disaster damaged Kennedy’s credibility and strengthened his resolve to remove Castro through alternative means including Operation Mongoose.

For Cuban exiles, the defeat represented betrayal by insufficient American support. Many blamed Kennedy for withholding air cover, while others criticized CIA planning and intelligence failures. The captured brigade members were eventually ransomed for $53 million in food and medicine in 1962.