Cuba · Politics / 26th of July Movement. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.
Castro's guerrilla forces scores a series of victories, largely aided by mass desertions from Batista's army of poorly trained & uncommitted young conscripts. Batista launches Operation Verano aiming to crush Castro and other anti-Government groups
The attitude of Batista changes in the Spring of 1958 as Castro started to gain international recognition and he called for a General Strike.
The offensive is designed to crush Fidel Castro's revolutionary army, who had been growing in strength in the area of the Sierra Maestra hills since their arrival in Cuba onboard the Granma yacht in December 1956.
When Operation Verano ends, Castro orders 3 columns commanded by Guevara, Jaime Vega and Camilo Cienfuegos to invade central Cuba. The offensive is met with resistance, notably at the Battle of La Plata and the Battle of Las Mercedes, and fails in its objective.
In the Battle of La Plata which lasts from July 11 till July 21, Castros forces defeat an entire battalion, capturing 240 men, while losing just 3 of their own
By August 8th, Castros entire army had escaped back into the mountains, Operation Verano had been a failure for the Batista Government
After the defeat of the Batista "ofensiva", Castros forces began their offensive
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