Cubans Vs. Cubans in the Congo
Someone dropped off a link to the Miami Herald on our Facebook page about a story that I’ve never heard – it’s about a battle between CIA-sanctioned Cuban ex-patriots and Castro’s Cubans who battled it out in the Congo in the early 60s;
The CIA sent about 120 Cuban exiles to fight communist-backed guerrillas during the political violence that wracked the country now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1962-67, says Frank R. Villafaña, author of Cold War in the Congo, virtually the only history of the role of Cubans in the conflict. Fidel Castro supplied about 200 soldiers to the other side.
The rival Cuban forces discovered one another’s presence during a CIA bombing raid on guerrilla positions when ground troops and pilots began cursing one another in Spanish. Later they would fight face to face, when CIA-backed Cubans in patrol boats attacked Castro’s troops along Lake Tanganyika’s shores.
“That was the story that got me interested,” said Villafaña. “When I heard it, I thought it was just typical Cuban exaggeration, but it’s all true. I don’t know why the CIA has kept it so secret. All the documents were supposed to be declassified after 30 years, and here we are 50 years and it’s still all secret.”
The secrecy extends beyond official documents to cloud even the eyewitness accounts of some of the Cuban CIA operatives, now all in their late 70s and beyond. Tamayo, the burly man with the machine gun, is amiable as he shares his recollections of the rescue operation . But, asked about his employer, he turns adamant.
“I don’t know nothing about the CIA,” Tamayo insists.
It’s pretty long story that you should read at the Herald along with the photos.
Category: Historical
Hmmm it’s not a secret. I’ve read several fiction and non-fiction books about it. If you read into the actual history of the murderer-Che Guevara (and he was a murderer, not a patriot) he was one of Castro’s men in the Congo … and he failed miserably thanks in part to the CIA operations.
W.E.B. Griffin’s (historical military fiction) series The Botherhood of War covers this in a couple of the books. It is, of course, fictional stories, but they are based on true events that happened.
And, if you like that kind of book, they’re a pretty good read too.
Yeah, they are a pretty good read.
Good reading but an impeccable source (retired O-6 Army Intel type) told me W.E.B. Griffin’s own military service claims are squarely and questionable. When confronted Griffin refused to provide documents. Anyone have info on this?
I have no idea. I never really looked into it. His real name is William E. Butterworth III.
I just read the books for what they are … interesting fictional stories that amuse me.
I’ve read that Castro sent Guevara to Africa because even he was finally sick of little Ernesto’s shit and was looking for a way to get rid of him while scoring PR in the process.
It’s also funny how none of the dickheads with his picture on their Tshirt want to read the shit he wrote during and after his time over there. Turns out their “people’s hero” was just as racist against black Africans as he was against black Cubans.
I’ve read similar things about him. Pretty much he was just in love with torture and murder, regardless of how he got to it, or whom it was enacted upon.
And he wasn’t even really Cuban either.
Nope. Born and raised in Argentina. Best I can tell, Guevara didn’t set foot in Cuba until late Nov 1956.
Turns out he actually really sucked as a guerrilla. His saving grace was that he was photogenic and seemed like a charismatic writer. Of course, everyone who met him found that charisma to be an illusion, as he was notorious for being a power-tripping asshole even before Castro gave him his own prison to abuse.
Semi-remind you of anyone else we know, currently residing in The Red Shed? Large jug ears, scrawny, portfolio and leadership experience as thin as one side of a sheet of paper. You know, Teh One?
He sucked a gorilla?
Coffee. Screen.
And executed in Bolivia.
I believe he was KIA. Went something like “Stop or I will shoot”. Bang, bang. “Nice shooting” “Yeah, good thing he stopped” :>))
A little of both maybe.
He was apparently shot a couple of times, surrendered, and then he was executed by order of the President of Bolivia a few days later.
Executed after begging for his life and insisting that he was worth more alive than dead.
TOW: that was his line when he was captured, reportedly. He got a bit more defiant when he thought he might actually live – and got arrogant as well.
He was executed the following day on order of the President of Bolivia. The executioner was a Bolivian soldier who’d lost 3 buddies to Guevara’s troops (he volunteered for the job). The executioner was told shoot carefully to make it appear as if Guevara was KIA vice executed.
The executioner shot him at least 8x – and maybe 9x – at close range with an M1 Garand: first 5x in his legs, then 1x in an arm and shoulder. He then delivered the fatal shots – 1x to the chest and 1x to the neck – as Guevara lay writhing in pain on the ground.
I’m thinking the soldier got a bit of payback on behalf of his lost buddies. Not saying that was the right thing to do, but it is understandable.
I didn’t know that. Can’t say I feel sorry for the son of a bitch, given his own fondness for torturing people.
That definitely explains the two conflicting versions of how the bastard died. May he suffer in hell.
Reminds of one of my secret operations. I was done with donuts and had a battle of the burgers.
Since Shari was on my ass about my expanding waistline, it was the most secret op that I ever left on. Shari clearly has no appreciation of the value of girth. On a side note, if my penis had the same proportions as my height/weight, I’d be hung like a frisbee.
Thankfully, no Cubans were hurt or injured in my secret burger battle.
Operation THEKINGORTHECLOWN is still talked about only in hushed whispers in secure areas.
sincerely
John “Faker 6” Giduck
Comedy gold.
Ya, I knew about this from some reading I did a long time ago about Che as well.
Poor old Che was like “Don’t you know who I am??!! You can’t execute me!!”
The Bolivians knew very well who he was, and had a rather different opinion.
His recorded last words were, “Don’t shoot! I am Che! I am worth more alive than dead!”
The Bolivians say he was also crying like a little bitch at the time.
TOW: not exactly. See above.
Guevara’s reported last words were actually, “Shoot me, you coward! You are only going to kill a man!”
His request was granted.