1961 Landing at the Bay of Pigs

55 years ago, on April 17, 1961, in the Bay of Pigs (Bay of Pigs) in Cuba, with the support of the United States, a detachment of Cuban emigrants of 1,500 people landed, with 10 M41 tanks. The purpose of the landing, organized by the CIA, was to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro. Already during the landing of the Cuban Air Force, two transports and two barges were sunk. The detachment's offensive was stopped by artillery and tanks, and on April 19 it capitulated. During the fighting, two B-26s with crews of US citizens were shot down. President John F. Kennedy claimed responsibility for the failure of the operation. In 1962, 1,193 captive emigrants were returned to the United States in exchange for a shipment of humanitarian aid worth $53 million. The failure was caused by poor preparation of the operation and the fear of discovering US participation in the operation, which practically nullified American air support.