Role of Guerrilla War - Cuba

26th of July Movement

July 26th 1956 - Castro/Guavara sailed to Cuba aboard the Granma - initial landings led to retreat to Sierra Mountains

Guerrillas  - sack an army outpost on south coast

Jan 1957 - Gain support in cuba + globally

Guerrilla - attack forces in el Caney

July 1957 - Repelled by government forces but demonstrate guerrilla war capability

Operation Verona

June - Aug 1958: ‘Summer Offensive’ launched by Batista; 12000 men; Guerrilla War - Castro’s forces win series of Key Battles

Battle of La Plata

July 1958 - Despite aerial bombardment - rebels defeated Batista’s forces; Access to resources - Turning point

Historian Luis Martinez Fernandes

Battle of La Plata was - “the war's turning point”

Battle of Las Mercedes

July - Aug 1958: Castro’s forces were trapped - Castro organised ceasefire with Cantillo - escaped - morale decrease in Cuban army

Battle of Guisa

Nov 1958 - Major victory for Castro - defeated concentrated number of Batista’s forces - an unrecoverable blow

Battle of Yaguajay

19-30 Dec 1958 - Defeat and surrender of Garrison - allowed for subsequent victory in Santa Clara

Battle of Santa Clara

28-31 Dec 1958 - Che’s forces defeat much larger government army

Batista Flees Cuba

1st January 1959 - after defeats in Yaguajay and Santa Clara

Politico Strategy - Peasants

• Castro fighting for agrarian reform and vowed to end ownership of large estates by a small % of society

• Respected peasants - paid for what was given

Radio Rebelde

1958 —> ‘Radio Rebel’ communication of revolutionary ideas

El Cubano Libre

Che Guavara’s newspaper - Communication of revolutionary ideas

Castro Publicity

Castro Participated in an Interview for New York times and a documentary for CBS - NOT a communist - appealed to international audience

Castro’s publicity influences in US

Denial of communism influenced Roy Rubottom of the state department ‘no evidence of him being communist’

Use of political propaganda

• ‘History will absolve me’ -1953; reputation

• Manifesto of Sierra Maestra - helped in secure overall leadership of rebel groups in ‘Pact of Carcaras’ 1958

Expansion of forces

• Nov 1956 - 82

• Dec 1958 - 7250