Bay of Pigs Invasion: Anyone Know What Weapon the US Sponsored CubanTroops Used?
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threefeathers
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they were issued the Johnson semi-automatic rifle. One of my closest freinds was Juan Pedro Artega, his brother was a member of Brigade 2506. and we spoke after his release. Both Juan and his brother became very active with Alpha 66.
They were given the Johnson for several reasons, it worked well, it could not be immediately tied to the U S, the Light machine gun version was better than the BAR.
For machine guns they had the 1919A4 on Tripods. They had 3.5 inch rocket launchers. With air cover they would have cleaned up the Communists.
They were given the Johnson for several reasons, it worked well, it could not be immediately tied to the U S, the Light machine gun version was better than the BAR.
For machine guns they had the 1919A4 on Tripods. They had 3.5 inch rocket launchers. With air cover they would have cleaned up the Communists.
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mortablunt
Member
From History Channel a few years ago, I heard they got things like Garands, Springfield 03, Mausers, and M3's.
Sam Cade
Member
Cartuchos is Spanish.
There seems to be a lot of confusion on the U.S. backed air strikes flown by CIA, Civilian and Alabama Air Nationa Guard pilots in their B-26's, which I am sure were armed with Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns (to keep this gun related). The air strikes on Cuban aiports, and ground support for the troops would have enabled success in the Bay of Pigs.
The critical air strikes on Castro's air force, and support during the invasion did not occur, but the reason is largely unknown. It could have been Kennedy who called off the air strikes, or it could have been underlings in the CIA, or military. Some say Kennedy just did not act due to lack of information. I also think it is possible Kennedy cut a deal with Nikitia Khrushcev, and sold out the cuban invaders as well as some U.S. personnel in the invasion.
The critical air strikes on Castro's air force, and support during the invasion did not occur, but the reason is largely unknown. It could have been Kennedy who called off the air strikes, or it could have been underlings in the CIA, or military. Some say Kennedy just did not act due to lack of information. I also think it is possible Kennedy cut a deal with Nikitia Khrushcev, and sold out the cuban invaders as well as some U.S. personnel in the invasion.
sgtstryker
Member
You know, after further research, the ammo is French. Should have known, tho, it shoots wayyy to the left!
mortablunt
Member
^ That's Combloc ammo that goes way left. French Ammo has to be fired at friendlies and then ducked under so that it flees into the enemy.
doc540
Member
One of my college professors was a former POW from the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Toughest teacher I ever had.
Toughest teacher I ever had.
mortablunt
Member
^ Not to get into a bragging competition, but I know for sure that my high school Freshman year history teacher was a 101'st Airborne vet from Desert Storm. And my economics teacher from Senior year was an Army Ranger who I think may have been in as late as early in Iraq. Why is it that former Drill Sergeants always seem to turn into really good high school teachers?
bhk
Member
I was 12 years old back then, but remember an article in Life magazine (I believe) that described a secretive rebel shooting of a government truck driver with a U.S. supplied Remington Nylon 66. Not exactly normal government issue, but maybe designed for more clandestine operations. The article indicated the shots were made up close and multiple .22 bullets were fired into the driver before he 'expired.'
Ignition Override
Member
Pilot:
As you might already know, the AL ANG trained for, or was involved in several interesting combat operations.
They seem to have often been eager to be on the "leading edge"
, so to speak (slats or no slats...).
The Time-Life aviation series has photos of Cuban pilots flying similar Douglas A-26s in Africa (the former Belgian Congo?), as mercenaries against communist-inspired guerrillas. Each leg was about four hours, and they sometimes did two sorties per "duty period".
I guess that they weren't paid by the 'block hour', maybe just per sortie, and wonder where they could have safely diverted.
As you might already know, the AL ANG trained for, or was involved in several interesting combat operations.
They seem to have often been eager to be on the "leading edge"
, so to speak (slats or no slats...).The Time-Life aviation series has photos of Cuban pilots flying similar Douglas A-26s in Africa (the former Belgian Congo?), as mercenaries against communist-inspired guerrillas. Each leg was about four hours, and they sometimes did two sorties per "duty period".
I guess that they weren't paid by the 'block hour', maybe just per sortie, and wonder where they could have safely diverted.
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threoh8
Member
partestres
Member
This may be from the LIFE magazine article. I ran across this photo years ago and saved it. Definitely Johnson M1941 with bayonets fixed in the photo. In the early 1990s I worked with a Cuban exile who trained for the invasion (and said he used a JSAR), but he suffered an injury in training and did not participate in the invasion.
partestres
Member
Johnson Semiautomatic Rifles
Threefeathers nailed it.
The invaders were supplied with weapons that were intended to appear to not have been supplied by the US military. The Johnson semiautomatic rifle was the primary long arm. The ammunition used was headstamped B N 43, though it was non-corrosive ammunition.
In the late summer of 1960, after plinking in an abandoned rock quarry where US 40 crosses the Missouri River near St. Charles, MO, a friend and I decided to hike south on the old MKT railroad, now the route of a bicycle trail. We carried rifles--imagine that!
After walking some distance, we heard gunfire west of the tracks and decided to investigate. We came upon some uniformed perimeter guards who did not speak English and who took us to an English speaking officer or NCO--I think he had three stripes--where men were being instructed in shooting at targets with Johnson semiautomatic rifles from prone positions.
I commented about the Johnson rifles, and my friend and I were each offered the opportunity to shoot one off-hand. If I recall correctly, and on this my memory is sketchy, we also fired a Smith and Wesson service revolver that our host carried in a holster. I picked up one of the fired cases from the rifle. My friend was carrying a handgun (probably unlawfully), and our host fired it.
We were treated very cordially and were escorted back to the tracks and allowed to leave.
The following spring, the newsmagazines had pictures of the men deploying from watercraft with Jonson rifles.
Some years later, a letter appeared in The American Rifleman with a question about the headstamp in question. The reply (could it have been written by Julian S. Hatcher?) stated that the ammunition had been loaded by Frankfort Arsenal in 1959 for use in covert operations. I later acquired a case containing a thousand or so rounds of the stuff.
About fifteen years ago, I asked a man who was working at a now-defunct gun store in Fenton, MO whether he knew of a Government range in that area. He replied in the affirmative, and told me that he had on occasion gone there as an FBI firearms instructor. When I then related the above story, he reacted visibly and said that and had been called upon to help train Cuban freedom fighters at that range before the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Threefeathers nailed it.
The invaders were supplied with weapons that were intended to appear to not have been supplied by the US military. The Johnson semiautomatic rifle was the primary long arm. The ammunition used was headstamped B N 43, though it was non-corrosive ammunition.
In the late summer of 1960, after plinking in an abandoned rock quarry where US 40 crosses the Missouri River near St. Charles, MO, a friend and I decided to hike south on the old MKT railroad, now the route of a bicycle trail. We carried rifles--imagine that!
After walking some distance, we heard gunfire west of the tracks and decided to investigate. We came upon some uniformed perimeter guards who did not speak English and who took us to an English speaking officer or NCO--I think he had three stripes--where men were being instructed in shooting at targets with Johnson semiautomatic rifles from prone positions.
I commented about the Johnson rifles, and my friend and I were each offered the opportunity to shoot one off-hand. If I recall correctly, and on this my memory is sketchy, we also fired a Smith and Wesson service revolver that our host carried in a holster. I picked up one of the fired cases from the rifle. My friend was carrying a handgun (probably unlawfully), and our host fired it.
We were treated very cordially and were escorted back to the tracks and allowed to leave.
The following spring, the newsmagazines had pictures of the men deploying from watercraft with Jonson rifles.
Some years later, a letter appeared in The American Rifleman with a question about the headstamp in question. The reply (could it have been written by Julian S. Hatcher?) stated that the ammunition had been loaded by Frankfort Arsenal in 1959 for use in covert operations. I later acquired a case containing a thousand or so rounds of the stuff.
About fifteen years ago, I asked a man who was working at a now-defunct gun store in Fenton, MO whether he knew of a Government range in that area. He replied in the affirmative, and told me that he had on occasion gone there as an FBI firearms instructor. When I then related the above story, he reacted visibly and said that and had been called upon to help train Cuban freedom fighters at that range before the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Cosmoline
Member
Did Castro ever do a show and tell with the Johnsons? He loved doing those for the world press.
mortablunt
Member
That's funny, the Johnson's design makes the bayonet useless as an attachment. Damn fine gun though, and it's seriously heavy, about on par with the M14 in terms of weight.
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Sam Cade
Member
They had a light weight handle-less spike.
Most of the training was done with M1917 rifles, but before the invasion, those were taken back and M1 rifles issued. The M1's were selected from rifles that could not be shown to have been in US service after 1950, that is those made in WWII and without the latest mods. They all came from Letterkenny Army Depot, not (as fiction would have it) from Interarmco.
Jim
Jim
Shanghai McCoy
Member
Regarding US troop involvement, I was in the Navy with a Chief Boatswains Mate who said that he crewed on one of the landing craft. He told that they wore civvies while in the boats.
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