When Santiago de Cuba Turned an Olive-Green Shade
It looked just like another morning. But the night before, hundreds of young women and men hadn’t slept due to the arrangements and tension entailed by the action to be undertaken. The forces of Batista’s tyranny, sensing that a storm was brewing over them, had withdrawn to the barracks. Meanwhile, Granma yacht was sailing to Niquero’s coastline. It was November 30, 1956.
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Since October of that very year, a group of young members of July 26 Revolutionary Movement, led by Frank País García, Léster Rodríguez, Pepito Tey and other brave clandestine combatants, had been preparing the armed uprising that, in late December, was to support the expedition that would arrived in from Mexico con restart the arm fight, headed by Fidel Castro.
The action had to be brought forward and, on November 27, Frank was ordered to trigger the uprising. There were three days left to make the arrangements. Santiago de Cuba was about to make history once again. The first shot was heard at 7:00 a.m. Hundreds of young rebels wore the olive-green uniform, as well as the July 26 red-black armband. Long live Fidel! Long live the Revolution! Down with Batista! the courageous soldiers were shouting.
28 combatants –Frank’s testimony- were attacking the National Police headquarters, perched on Loma del Intendente. 20 rebels were shooting at the main entrance, with Pepito Tey leading the action. Eight came from behind, took the roof and opened fire against garrison. Otto Parellada was the man calling the shots. A third and small group was also supporting the attack. Its leader, Paquito Cruz, had been taken prisoner the night before.
The force they were assaulting had higher numbers: there were nearly 70 cops and 15 soldiers. The clash was violent. The enemy suffered several casualties. Tony Alomá shed the first revolutionary blood; Pepito Tey advanced on the enemy position and he was shot on the leg, but fought to the end.
Otto Parellada was also killed in the unequal fight. As the revolutionary soldiers were able to take the police station, they were ordered to pull back, yet they set the building on fire.
Near that place, the rebel firepower took down the resistance of the Navy Police. Prisoners and weapons were taken, but an enemy reinforcement came from the Moncada Barracks. There were no casualties among the rebels.
The other important action, the assault and siege to the Moncada Barracks, was not carried out due to the arrest, on the 29th, of the main leaders: Léster Rodríguez and Josué País. That was the reason why the mortar was not fired against the fortress. The Student Brigades backed up the uprising.
After the main combats came to an end, the rebels took positions as snipers around the city. The strongest resistance was paid at the High School Institute. They were still fighting the day after.
Frank País described the events that took place on November 30, 1956 in Santiago de Cuba.
“The city woke up into a general shoot-out. Weapons of all calibers were firing rounds. Alarms and sirens could be heard at the Moncada barracks and the navy headquarters. Planes were flying low. There were fires all over the city. The revolutionary army was taking the streets and Batista’s soldiers were fighting back. Our companions were shouting, supported by the people and a thousand indescribable and different emotions”.
After the combat, the persecution unleashed by the tyranny forces was fierce, but it faced a decisive wall: the solidarity of the people of Santiago. The doors were open to shelter the young rebels. Many people risked their lives on that November 30.
Frank highlighted the way the people of Santiago de Cuba massively cooperated with the revolutionary soldiers. “The people took care of the wounded rebels, hid armed men, weapons and their uniforms. They were encouraging us, giving us their homes and keeping their eyes on the movements of the army”.
For instance, the firefighters that went to the National Police headquarters helped the detainees escape. One of the combatants said “The firefighters gave us their uniforms and helmets and took us out of there, naturally, right in front of the cops”.
Asela de los Santos tells that, during the fight, a box with bullets fell from the hands of a combatant. “The projectiles were spread all over the street. There were some people and a man with a wheelbarrow passing by and, without saying a word, they picked the bullets up and kept on walking”.
The Granma yacht was anchored near Playas Coloradas, in Niquero, on December 2, 48 hours after the Santiago de Cuba uprising. There were contradictory pieces of news, but Frank was sure that Fidel would reach Sierra Maestra. The hero of clandestine war told Armando Hart: “Now the countrymen must come together and support the actions, nobody is going to stop this avalanche”.
“Frank was so organized, combatant María Antonia Figueroa says, that after the uprising the Movement was intact, there were no more casualties other than those three compatriots (Pepito, Otto and Tony). He told us to recover every weapon and bullet”.
Just as scheduled, another phase of the action was triggered, by means of sabotages to communication, transportation and other facilities. There were revolutionary soldiers fighting in other regions.
The support to Fidel and his men was expressed in different ways. In March 1957, Frank organized and sent nearly 50 men to join the Rebel Army. Many of these men had participated in the Nov 30 heroic deed. In June of that very year, another group was moved to the legendary eastern mountains. Many of the young men that wore the olive-green uniform in the capital, unfortunately passed away in the streets of Santiago.
When the Rebel Army prepared the final assault to Santiago de Cuba in late December 1958, over one hundred armed combatants were ready to join the action in the city and they played a decisive role to achieve victory.
The tyranny forces were looking for shelter in their barracks where they were sieged and the unconditional surrender of Moncada avoid the last combat. It was January 1, 1959.
