Bay of Pigs Invasion (2h 27min, apr 17, 1961 y – 10h 59min, apr 20, 1961 y)
Description:
The Bay of Pigs invasion was America's plan to send Anti-Castro exiles into Cuba to start an anti-communist revolt. It was planned to invade the southwest coast of Cuba. The plan failed miserably. First, on April 15 eight World War Two B-26 bombers painted to look like Cuban air force planes took off from Nicaragua to bomb Cuba. The bombers mostly missed their target, leaving the Cuban air force intact. News of the attack broke, leaving pictures of the painted B-26 bombers revealed to the public, showing America's involvement in the attack. He canceled a second air strike. The real attack started on April 17, the Anti-Castro exiles landed on the beaches where they immediately went under fire from Cuban forces. Cuban planes strafed the invaders. They sunk two escort ships and destroyed half of the air support. There was bad weather at the time, slowing down the exiles, who had insufficient ammo. Fidel Castro sent in 20,000 troops to attack the exiles. The Cuban air force continued to control the skies. President John F. Kennedy authorized an "air-umbrella," where six unmarked American fighter planes took off to protect the B-26 aircraft flying. The planes arrived an hour late, where they were shot down by Cubans. The invasion ended a day later. Some of the exiles escaped, while the rest were either killed or held as prisoners. Castro eventually settled on $53 million worth of baby food and medicine in exchange for the prisoners.
Added to timeline:
Date:
2h 27min, apr 17, 1961 y
10h 59min, apr 20, 1961 y
~ 3 days