65th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution
By: Santiago Romero
Santiago de Cuba.- The last events put Santiago de Cuba in the news of the time: the uprising of November 30 when the city was dressed -for the first time- in olive green in support of the landing of the eighty-two men of the Granma yacht. Then, it was the turn of the underground resistance in the city to deny that Fidel had died. The media at the service of Fulgencio Batista said that he had everything under control. And the answer was that the rebel offensive advanced better from May 1958, from the southeast.
They did not succeed in suffocating, festering or dividing us
Fidel ordered the leaders of the rebel columns to advance. But other difficult battles would come later along the way. For example, for the liberation of Santiago de Cuba, the leader of the Cuban revolution combined the rebel forces. In the America sugar mill, at the exit of Contramaestre, the headquarters of the Rebel Army was located. From there, all coordination with all the rebel commanders took place.
And in December 1958, the 26th of July revolutionary movement generalized the war throughout the country, when its action headquarters in western Cuba also applied the guerrilla method as a form of military struggle. The final offensive was more powerful with Fidel’s call from Palma Soriano and later, from the CMKC microphones in Santiago.
The rebels cut communications. Between Camagüey and Guantánamo 17 thousand soldiers were surrounded and the island was divided into two parts. In the Jigüe a hard battle was fought where men and women were forged in the heat of the struggle.
Call for a day of decisive effort on the 65th Anniversary of the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution
The morale of the Rebel Army grew even more. There were plenty of reasons to take the invasion from east to west. There, in the center of the country, Che showed intelligence and strength by leading the attack on the city of Santa Clara. Camilo also led the difficult battle of Yaguajay, which stopped him a little, but he managed to advance towards the capital where he spoke of the rebel thrust.
This historical account had its climax here in Santiago de Cuba with CMKC broadcasting from Cespedes Park. The people embraced the rebels. The priest looked up at the winter sky. On the far right, the ruins of the house of Don Diego Velazquez in front, many devotees in the cathedral. To the left, by the Casa Granda hotel, there were many onlookers. And closer, there were the tanks. What was undeniable was that the Rebel Army was in Santiago de Cuba, in the awakening of a «January of Victories 65 years ago!»
Cespedes Park, Center of the Triumphal Clarion Call
