logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
8m 56s

Fighting for Castro at the Bay of Pigs

Bbc World Service
About this episode

On April 17 1961 a group of Cuban exiles launched an invasion of communist-ruled Cuba in a failed attempt to topple Fidel Castro. After 72 hours of fighting many of the invaders were captured or killed. Gregorio Moreria was a member of the local communist militia who fought against the US-backed invaders. He was injured and briefly captured during the fighting. He spoke to Mike Lanchin for Witness History in 2016.

(Photo: Members of Castro's militia during the US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion. Credit: Three Lions/Getty Images)

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Nov 21
How the Bosnian war ended
<p>The Dayton Peace Accords were signed on the 21 November 1995, ending the three-and-a-half-year war in Bosnia. </p><p>The war was part of the break-up of Yugoslavia; it is estimated that 100,000 people were killed. </p><p>In 2010, Lucy Williamson spoke to Milan Milutinović who ... Show More
10m 12s
Nov 20
The Spanish king reclaims his throne
<p>In 1975, the death of General Francisco Franco was announced in Spain, bringing to an end 36 years of dictatorship.</p><p>Franco had already chosen his successor: Prince Juan Carlos, grandson of the last monarch, Alphonso XIII. This was the man who - Franco thought - would con ... Show More
10m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
174. The Cuban Revolution
It’s 1959 and the swaggering Cuban revolutionary, Fidel Castro, has just overthrown the unpopular American backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Che Guevara, the Marxist physician whose face would become an internationally recognised symbol of resistance, is at his side. But how di ... Show More
56m 59s
Aug 2024
175. The CIA vs Fidel Castro
Following the fall of Batista, the Cuban revolution took a more radical turn. Castro was not a communist to begin with, but as those around him became increasingly Marxist, the CIA’s desire to regain control of the island grew. With the failure of JFK’s Bay of Pigs invasion, even ... Show More
54m 6s
Jun 2025
Introducing: Fidel Castro - Real Dictators
This is a taster episode of the Fidel Castro story. To hear episodes 2-10, head over to Real Dictators and hit follow. Fidel Castro - a revolutionary turned strongman dictator, beloved by his supporters and loathed by his enemies. The bête noire of the United States who pushed th ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 19
Fidel Castro: Cuba’s Cocaine Trafficker-in-Chief?
In 1959, when Fidel Castro’s revolutionaries toppled Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, they wasted no time booting out American business owners, casinos and drug kingpins — much to the delight of US law enforcers. But as time passed, and Castro’s socialist regime sought ever-tric ... Show More
1h 4m
Sep 3
The 600 Lives of Fidel Castro
When Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s dictator in 1959, the Communist leader and provocateur quickly became a threat to the U.S. government. The CIA has been proven responsible for at least eight plots against Castro’s life. Despite the creativity of their attempts—including everyth ... Show More
39m 16s
Jul 2024
168. Teddy Roosevelt Takes on the Old World
In 1898, whilst his boss was on a break at the osteopath, Teddy Roosevelt basically started a war. A master of the press, he managed to whip up war fever amongst jingoists in Congress, leading the United States to declare war on imperial Spain. Building on an established independ ... Show More
50m 27s
Aug 16
Saturday Matinee: Real Dictators
<p>On today’s Saturday Matinee, we visit a humble farm in the east of Cuba to witness the early years of Fidel Castro, to see how this man would one day become the country's most revolutionary dictator.</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Link to&nbsp;<em>Real Dictators:</em> <a href="https:// ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2025
Death of Che
In 1967, the CIA and Bolivian army joined forces to hunt down revolutionary leader Che Guevara through the Andes mountains. After leaving Cuba, Guevara and a small guerrilla force secretly entered Bolivia, aiming to spark a communist revolution across South America. But as his he ... Show More
37m 17s