2019-04-17 Wed

Also known as the Bay of Pigs incident, the Giron Victory is an important manifestation of the Cold War. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency that took place on the 17th April 1961.

In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolt that overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The US government distrusted Castro and was wary of his relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union. The pro-communist and anti-American ideology of Castro made the USA uncomfortable. Hence, a plan was made during the times of President Kennedy.

The plan involved training of Cuban exiles for an invasion of their homeland. Finally, on 17th April 1961, the CIA launched what its leaders believed would be the definitive strike: a full-scale invasion of Cuba by 1,400 American-trained Cubans who had fled their homes when Castro took over.

However, the invasion did not go well: The invaders were badly outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting. This victory is still a cause for celebration on Cuba as a small and lesser developed nation defeated the Group Aided by US military.

On the tenth Anniversary of the event i.e. in 1971, a stamp with the denomination of 13Cuban centavos was issued. The stamp depicts a broken ship in the background along with a young Cuban citizen holding the flag of Cuba.

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com

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