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15-430: [REDACTED] Insurgents : c. 177 outlawed groups The Escambray rebellion was an armed conflict from 1959 to 1965 in the Escambray Mountains during which several insurgent groups fought against the Cuban government led by Fidel Castro . The military operation against the rebellion was called the Struggle Against Bandits ( Spanish : Lucha Contra Bandidos , or LCB) by the Cuban government. The rebels were

30-473: A founding member of the Communist Party of Cuba , and Lizardo Proenza. Both their smaller numbers and the lack of outside assistance, particularly supplies, eventually led to the rebels' defeat. Cuban forces used sweeps by long columns of National Militia , which cost the government substantial losses but ultimately won the war. The Spanish-Soviet Advisor Francisco Ciutat de Miguel , who was also present at

45-667: A handful managed to escape. The Struggle Against the Bandits lasted longer and involved more soldiers than the previous struggle against Batista's forces. Raúl Castro claimed in a speech in 1970 that the rebellion killed 500 members of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces . The death toll of the rebels and others involved in the rebellion (such as civilians and pro-government militias) is unknown. Estimates for total combatant deaths range from 1,000 to 7,000. Escambray Mountains The Escambray Mountains are located in

60-533: A mix of former soldiers of the Batista regime, local farmers, and ex-guerrillas who had fought alongside Castro against Batista during the Cuban Revolution . The end result was the elimination of all insurgents by Cuban government forces in 1965. The uprising began almost immediately after the success of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. It was led by an ex-guerrilla that had fought against Batista before, but rejected

75-399: Is best known as Sierra de Sancti Spíritus . After Pico San Juan, the highest points are Caballete de Casas , Gavilanes , Loma de Banao , Caja de Agua , and Pico Tuerto . Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park established in the south-eastern ranges of Escambray Mountains, protecting and showcasing caves, rivers, waterfalls, and canyons. The Valley de los Ingenios is developed at

90-479: The Bay of Pigs Invasion , played a major role in the pacification operation. Castro employed overwhelming force, at times sending in as many as 250,000 men, almost all of whom (including 3,500 out of the 4,000 government fatalities) were militia. The insurgency was eventually crushed by Castro's use of their vastly-superior numbers. Some of the insurgents ultimately surrendered but were immediately executed by firing squad. Only

105-711: The 19th century, it was a refuge for the Mambises who fought for the independence of Cuba (1868-1898). Finally, it was also the scene of the armed struggle in the 1950s and 1960s, first of the 26th of July Movement , the Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil and the Second National Front of Escambray against the army of General Fulgencio Batista (1957-1958), and then, during the Escambray rebellion (1960-1965). This Cuban location article

120-658: The Cuban government was to deploy thousands of troops against small groups of rebels, forming progressively-constricting rings of encirclement. The communist leaders that Castro sent to clear the Escambray Mountains were ordered to exterminate the rebels. They were to "comb the brush elbow to elbow" until they had completely cleared the hills of anti-communist rebels. The leaders of the Lucha Contra Bandidos counter-insurgency forces were Commandantes Raul Menendez Tomassevich,

135-522: The anti-communists Osvaldo Ramirez and Comandante William Alexander Morgan , both of whom had fought Batista's casquitos in the same area only a few years before (Morgan himself was executed in 1961, long before the resistance ended). Ramirez and Morgan were viewed by the United States as potential pro-democracy options for Cuba and sent CIA-trained Cuban exiles to promote and spread word of them being an alternative to Castro. The CIA provided some aid to

150-586: The central area of the island of Cuba with 1,140 meters above sea level. Pico San Juan is located in the municipality of Cumanayagua , in the Cienfuegos Province , and belongs to the Escambray Mountains or "Guamuhaya", the largest mountain range in central Cuba. The mountain rises on a 1,140 meters above sea level of rivers, forests, valleys and peaks. Originally counting at a height of 1,142 meters above sea level, its last 2 meters were lowered to

165-457: The current height in the 1980s, with the purpose of installing a meteorological radar that is still in that place. At the top, there is also a bust of the prominent Cuban caver Antonio Núñez Jiménez . The Sierra del Escambray, in the "Guamuhaya" Massif, was the scene of small combats between the Cuban aborigines and the Spanish conquistadors during the 16th century. Later, during the last third of

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180-492: The insurgents but withdrew all support after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, ensuring their ultimate defeat. Some of the failures could be attributed to Castro's "roll up" of CIA operatives in Cuba. After the Bay of Pigs failure, Osvaldo Ramirez returned to the Escambray Mountains and declined an offer by Castro's emissary, Comandante Faure Chomón, to surrender. The main tactic of

195-816: The socialist turn the Cuban Revolution had taken and the ensuing close ties with the Soviet Union . Small landowning farmers, who disagreed with the socialist government's collectivization of Cuban farmlands also played a central role in the failed rebellion. The uprising was also secretly backed by the CIA and the Eisenhower administration because of Castro's ties with the Soviet Union. The insurgent guajiro rural farmers were aided by some former Batista forces but were led mostly by former DRE rebels (13 March Movement), such as

210-560: The south-central region of the island, extending about 80 kilometers (50 mi) from east to west, and 80 kilometers (50 mi) from north to south. Their highest peak, Pico San Juan , rises to 960 m (3,150 ft) above sea level. The Escambray range is divided into two sections by the Agabama River . The western part is called the Guamuhaya Mountains , and the eastern part, raising between Trinidad and Sancti Spiritus ,

225-464: The south-eastern foot of the mountains, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The mountains were the theater of the Escambray Rebellion in 1959–1965. It was also a planned refuge during the Bay of Pigs Invasion ; however, it was never used as such. [REDACTED] Media related to Escambray Mountains at Wikimedia Commons Pico San Juan Pico San Juan is the highest point of

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