On April 17, 1961, around 1,500 mercenaries trained, armed, and equipped by the CIA and the Pentagon, grouped in seven battalions and directly supported by the US Army, landed in Cienaga de Zapata (Zapata Swamp), as part of Operation Pluto, authorized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower the previous year.

The action aimed to gain a beachhead to install a provisional government, immediately requesting the recognition and intervention of the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS).

Before the landing, eight B-26 fighter jets disguised with false insignia of the Revolutionary Air Force simultaneously attacked the San Antonio de los Baños air base and the Ciudad Libertad airstrip, both in Havana, as well as the Santiago de Cuba airport.

Despite imperialist plans, in less than 72 hours of intense fighting, the Caribbean nation managed to defeat the aggression conducted by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). jrr/iff/nmr/mks