Bay of Pigs

what is Operation Anadyr

the operation which the USSR sent nuclear missiles to be based in Cuba

who planned the Bay of Pigs invasion

Eisenhower

what was the Bay of Pigs plan

The plan was to enable 1500 anti-Castro Cuban exiles to be trained in Guatemala and  land in Cuba and carry out a military coup to remove him.

what happened on the 15th April 1961

8 US bombers left Nicaragua for Cuban airfields. They missed many targets and photos of the repainted US planes disguised to look like Cuban aircrafts were leaked, causing Kennedy to cancel a second airstrike.

what happened on the 17th April 1961

an invasion force of 1,400 exiles  landed at the ‘Bay of Pigs’ in Cuba. The USA hoped they would overthrow Castro and start a new US-friendly government. They caught heavy fire and were captured.

what were the Cuban exiles called

Brigade 2506

why did the invasion fail

The volunteers had little military experience, the USA wanted to be able to deny involvement so did not supply much support. Castro’s government found out about the invasion and had 20,000 soldiers waiting for it. Also the USA and exiles thought most Cubans would support them - they did not, as Castro was popular.

the bay of pigs invastion was a ….for the USA

public humiliation

what was the impact on the Bay of Pigs invasion for Castro

consolidated his power in Cuba

when was operation Mongoose

1961

what was the aim of operation mongoose

it aimed to destabilise the Castro regime & facilitate a domestic anti-Castro revolt

operation mongoose planned for…

air strike and land based invasion

what were the land strike & land based invasions part of operation mongoose called

OPLAN 312 & OPLAN 314

part of operation mongoose was the US began military …

manoeuvres known as Operation Quick Kick in the Caribbean Sea

what did operation mongoose mean for the USSR

For the USSR & Khrushchev, this meant they needed to support their ally in the caribbean. Khruschev decided to place nuclear missiles in Cuba instead of using conventional forces.

The USSR was willing to support Castro …

politically, economically, & militarily

The nuclear weapons transported to Cuba were only part of the military support provided; support included, …

planes, bombers, & 14,000 ground troops.

For Khrushchev operation Anadyr was a great opportunity to …

redress the imbalance between the two country’s long-range missile capabilities

operation anadyr would help the USSR

reduce military spending on conventional forces & would have freed up money to spend on the civilian economy