Book Review of
PIGS, Missiles and the Cia
Vol. 1: Havana, Miami, Washington
And the Bay of Pigs 1959-1961
Author: Linda Rios Bromley
Helion & Co.,Ltd.
Latin America@War Series
ISBN: 978-1-914377-14-3
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $29.95
Latin America@War Series
ISBN: 978-1-914377-14-3
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $29.95
HISTORY:
Ninety miles from the U.S. coast of Florida, dictators and zealots ruled the island of Cuba for hundreds of years. The last half of the 20th century saw dictator Fulgencio Batista deposed by rebel leader Fidel Castro and his followers.
Proclaiming himself a supporter of Cubanism, and not communism, Castro’s nationalization of agriculture and businesses revealed a different side. Thousands of Cubans departed by the sea en route to the U.S. and Europe.
The U.S. government , alerted by the Central Intelligence Agency, became concerned when an alliance forged between Castro and Nikita Khrushchev brought arms and ammunition to the island so close to the U.S. shores.
The CIA hatched a plan to have Castro removed and enlisted the Cuban exiles to be trained by U.S. agents and invade the island to establish a new government. The operation, an invasion of the Bay of Pigs, or Bahia de Cochinos, began during the administration of President Eisenhower with participation from all departments of government up to the oval-office.
John F. Kennedy, sworn into office as the 35th president, when critical actions required attention, did not immediately approve the plan without considerable evaluation. The Agency hierarchy enjoyed power and influence and at times withheld critical pieces of the plan.
Brigade 2506 – as the exile force called themselves – was trained in Guatemala and Nicaragua by Agency representatives. With patched-up B-26s from the “boneyard” in Tucson, Arizona and commercial vessels leased from n exile in New York, the Brigade had an active military force.
Former military pilots, students, farmers, lawyers and doctors comprised the group who opposed Castro and wanted to be a part of the take-down. Three days after the invasion at the beach, all hell broke loose.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 67 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. 3 pages are blank.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Douglas B-26B Invader of Chico Flight appeared at the CIA arranged Bay of Pigs invasion, on the scene just as the ships of Brigade 2506 came under attack by two Sea Fury fighter bombers of the Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria. Flying the B26B Chico 1, which displayed the fake serial no. FAR935, Capt. Mario Zuniga attacked the Sea Fury piloted by Carreras Rolas, only seconds after the latter conducted a diving attack on the S.S. Rio Escondido, hitting the deck full of fuel drums. A few of Zuniga’s bullets damaged Rolas’ engine, but the latter managed to return to his base.
The book begins with a DEDICATION and ABBREVIATIONS.
There are 75 black and white photos in the book. They include militants, sailors, officers, several shots of Fidel Castro, vehicles, tanks, aircraft and ships.
There are 5 maps and 2 data lists.
There are color side profiles of:
2 Jeeps (one with a .30 cal. machine-gun mounted on a pedestal and one un-armored)
A M3 Stuart Light Tank
A M4 Sherman Tank
A M3 White Scout Car
An ex-Israeli T17E1 Staghound armored car
A mine-resistant , ambush-protected truck
A T-34/85 medium tank (Soviet provided)
A IS-2m tank (Soviet provided)
A M4 Walker Bulldog tank
A Douglas C-47 transport
Two Republic P-47D Thunderbolts
A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver light transport
2 Lockheed T-33 Shooting Stars
4 Douglas B-26B Invaders
3 Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 fighter-bombers
The book ends with the BIBLIOGRAPHY and NOTES.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
Ninety miles from the U.S. coast of Florida, dictators and zealots ruled the island of Cuba for hundreds of years. The last half of the 20th century saw dictator Fulgencio Batista deposed by rebel leader Fidel Castro and his followers.
Proclaiming himself a supporter of Cubanism, and not communism, Castro’s nationalization of agriculture and businesses revealed a different side. Thousands of Cubans departed by the sea en route to the U.S. and Europe.
The U.S. government , alerted by the Central Intelligence Agency, became concerned when an alliance forged between Castro and Nikita Khrushchev brought arms and ammunition to the island so close to the U.S. shores.
The CIA hatched a plan to have Castro removed and enlisted the Cuban exiles to be trained by U.S. agents and invade the island to establish a new government. The operation, an invasion of the Bay of Pigs, or Bahia de Cochinos, began during the administration of President Eisenhower with participation from all departments of government up to the oval-office.
John F. Kennedy, sworn into office as the 35th president, when critical actions required attention, did not immediately approve the plan without considerable evaluation. The Agency hierarchy enjoyed power and influence and at times withheld critical pieces of the plan.
Brigade 2506 – as the exile force called themselves – was trained in Guatemala and Nicaragua by Agency representatives. With patched-up B-26s from the “boneyard” in Tucson, Arizona and commercial vessels leased from n exile in New York, the Brigade had an active military force.
Former military pilots, students, farmers, lawyers and doctors comprised the group who opposed Castro and wanted to be a part of the take-down. Three days after the invasion at the beach, all hell broke loose.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 67 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. 3 pages are blank.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Douglas B-26B Invader of Chico Flight appeared at the CIA arranged Bay of Pigs invasion, on the scene just as the ships of Brigade 2506 came under attack by two Sea Fury fighter bombers of the Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria. Flying the B26B Chico 1, which displayed the fake serial no. FAR935, Capt. Mario Zuniga attacked the Sea Fury piloted by Carreras Rolas, only seconds after the latter conducted a diving attack on the S.S. Rio Escondido, hitting the deck full of fuel drums. A few of Zuniga’s bullets damaged Rolas’ engine, but the latter managed to return to his base.
The book begins with a DEDICATION and ABBREVIATIONS.
There are 75 black and white photos in the book. They include militants, sailors, officers, several shots of Fidel Castro, vehicles, tanks, aircraft and ships.
There are 5 maps and 2 data lists.
There are color side profiles of:
2 Jeeps (one with a .30 cal. machine-gun mounted on a pedestal and one un-armored)
A M3 Stuart Light Tank
A M4 Sherman Tank
A M3 White Scout Car
An ex-Israeli T17E1 Staghound armored car
A mine-resistant , ambush-protected truck
A T-34/85 medium tank (Soviet provided)
A IS-2m tank (Soviet provided)
A M4 Walker Bulldog tank
A Douglas C-47 transport
Two Republic P-47D Thunderbolts
A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver light transport
2 Lockheed T-33 Shooting Stars
4 Douglas B-26B Invaders
3 Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 fighter-bombers
The book ends with the BIBLIOGRAPHY and NOTES.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Helion & Co. Books and all Helion titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Recommended.