Regional Command Responsibility
Chaviano receives a politically influential share of authority during the campaign.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1958 in Cuba — Page 2
Explore 163 historical events and records for Cuba in 1958.
Historical records for Cuba in 1958
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 163 unique records.
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May
Sierra Maestra Encirclement Plan
Cantillo establishes roadblocks and advances intended to isolate Castro's mountain headquarters.
June
Army Reinforcements Committed
Batista commits multiple battalions to the offensive despite many soldiers being inexperienced recruits.
Attack from Estrada Palma
Cantillo begins a major advance from the Estrada Palma sugar mill area.
Battle of Santo Domingo
Resists Batista's summer offensive in the mountains.
Command of Summer Offensive
Cantillo commands Batista's major offensive against the Sierra Maestra guerrillas.
Full Offensive Launched
Batista's army begins coordinated attacks into the Sierra Maestra.
Operation Verano
Batista's army launches Operation Verano, a large summer offensive intended to destroy Castro's guerrilla forces in the Sierra Maestra.
Operation Verano Begins
Castro organises resistance as Batista's army begins its full summer offensive.
Operation Verano Command
General Eulogio Cantillo directs government forces during Operation Verano, the large offensive intended to destroy the 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra.
Rebel Forces Concentrated
Castro concentrates available fighters near his headquarters to resist the approaching army.
Battalion 11 Advance
Sanchez Mosquera leads Battalion 11 into the Sierra Maestra offensive.
Battle of Santo Domingo Directed
Castro directs rebel resistance against Battalion 11 near Santo Domingo.
Defence of Santo Domingo
Garcia leads rebel fighters resisting government troops near Santo Domingo.
Reinforcement of Santo Domingo
Ramos Latour reinforces rebel units opposing the army's northern advance.
Santo Domingo Fighting
Sardinas commands rebel positions during the battle around Santo Domingo.
Support at Santo Domingo
Acuna's platoon supports the rebel defence during intense fighting.
Defence of Sierra Maestra
Castro concentrates his smaller rebel force in defensible mountain positions.
Foreign Hostage Crisis
Forces under Raúl Castro detain dozens of American and Canadian civilians during a dispute over United States policy before releasing the captives over the following weeks.
July
Battalion 18 Lands
Quevedo lands Battalion 18 near the mouth of the La Plata River.
Battle of La Plata
General Eulogio Cantillo's forces begin an operation near La Plata intended to strike Fidel Castro's Sierra Maestra positions.
Battle of La Plata
The Battle of La Plata begins as part of Operation Verano, the Batista government's summer offensive against the Sierra Maestra rebels.
Battle of La Plata
Defeats a Batista battalion during Operation Verano.
Battle of La Plata Begins
Castro directs the encirclement of Battalion 18 during the Battle of La Plata.
Blocking Position at La Plata
Del Rio's squad occupies a position helping close the encirclement.
Deployment at Purialon
Cuevas moves into position to prevent army reinforcements reaching Battalion 18.
El Jigue Encirclement Ordered
Castro orders rebel units to surround Battalion 18 at El Jigue.
Forward Position at El Jigue
Perez deploys his squad directly opposite Battalion 18's camp.
Forward Position at El Jigue
Rodriguez and his fighters hold a position facing the surrounded battalion.
La Plata River Blocked
Garcia positions fighters to block Battalion 18's route toward the coast.
Operation Verano
Operation Verano suffers a major defeat at La Plata.
Death at El Jigue
Cuevas is killed while advancing against government positions.
Battalion 18 Surrenders
Castro accepts the surrender of Battalion 18 and captures approximately 240 soldiers.
Battle of La Plata
His offensive suffers a serious defeat at La Plata.
Battle of La Plata
Castro's forces compel the surrounded government battalion at La Plata to surrender after days of fighting during Operation Verano.
Battle of La Plata
The Battle of La Plata ends with the surrender of the isolated government battalion and the capture of hundreds of soldiers.
Defeat at La Plata
Batista's government loses Battalion 18 after its encirclement at La Plata.
Government Soldiers Captured
Castro's forces take approximately 240 Battalion 18 soldiers prisoner.
Surrender at El Jigue
Quevedo surrenders Battalion 18 after relief attempts fail.
Forces Shifted toward Yara River
Castro shifts rebel units north to pursue remaining army battalions.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.