Second National Front of Escambray (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Segundo Frente Nacional del Escambray'') was an independent guerilla group led by

Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo (December 8, 1934 – October 26, 2012) was a revolutionary who led the guerrilla force Second National Front of Escambray during the Cuban Revolution against Fulgencio Batista and later opposed the government of Fidel Cas ...

and Dr. Armando Fleites and included Roger Redondo, Ramiro Lorenzo, Jorge Castellón, Jesús Carreras Saya, Lázaro Artola, Genaro Arroyo, and others in the Cuban central

Escambray Mountains The Escambray Mountains () are a mountain range in the central region of Cuba, in the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos and Villa Clara. Overview The Escambray Mountains are located in the south-central region of the island, extending a ...

William Alexander Morgan William Alexander Morgan (April 19, 1928 – March 11, 1961) was a United States citizen who fought in the Cuban Revolution, leading a band of rebels that drove the Cuban army from key positions in the central mountains as part of Second Nation ...

was also a part of the Escambray group. While initially the group supported

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

in his efforts to overthrow Cuban dictator

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...

, after Castro took power some of its members joined former Batista soldiers and local farmers in the

Escambray Rebellion 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 ...

(1959–1965) opposing Castro.

History

Anti-Batista Military Action (1957–1959)

Second National Front of Escambray Comandantes Lázaro Artola, Dr

The rebel group fought against president Batista′s rule. The Second Front was a splinter group from the

Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil ( abbreviation: DRE; English: Student Revolutionary Directorate) was a Cuban student activist group which in opposition to Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista from 1954 to 1957 played a role in the Cuban Revolu ...

(DRE) (English: Student Revolutionary Directorate) responsible for the coordinated attack on March 13, 1957 on Batista's Presidential Palace organized by DRE leader

José Antonio Echeverría José Antonio Echeverría (July 16, 1932 in Cárdenas, Cuba, Cárdenas, Matanzas Province, Matanzas – March 13, 1957 in Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban revolutionary and student leader. The President of the Federation of University Students (' ...

, who died the same day in a related incident. Some important members of the Second National Front of Escambray were Max Lesnik and Lázaro Artola. The DRE's "Escambray Manifesto" of February 24, 1958 envisaged simultaneous urban and rural guerrilla warfare against Batista. It called for the restoration of the Constitution of 1940, and for social revolution, while attacking "those who only a few years ago supported the Nazis in the conquered lands of Europe," a direct reference to the Communists. As the manifesto circulated throughout the island, the Escambray guerrillas gained strength. Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo and the National Front of Escambray were the first group to march into

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

on January 3, 1959 as Castro and the 26th of July Movement arrived a few days later on January 8, 1959. After the success of the Revolution the National Front of Escambray was absorbed by Castro's army and many leaders of the movement were considered to be ''Heroes of the Rebellion'.'' Despite the success National Front members such as Menoyo, were not included or offered jobs in Castro's government. These tensions quickly escalated to a resurrection of the National Front Movement in the form of the Second National Front of Escambray in September 1959.

Early Anti-Castro Years and U.S. Support (1959–1961)

Upon establishing an anti-Castro movement Menoyo retreated back to the

, the base of the last revolution. The movement became popular among farmers who did not support the collectivization enforced by the Castro government thus leading to the movement leading targeted attacks on agricultural hubs and field burnings. It was through these actions that the movement engaged the Castro regime as it was not strong enough to engage in a direct conflict revolution. After Fidel Castro announced his ties to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, the United States began to support the National Front in order to oppose the spread of Communism to the western hemisphere. One of the leading figures in acquiring American aid for the revolution was

, an American who had fought in the revolution and joined the anti-Castro movement. Morgan was a former member of the U.S. Army and acted as the main point of communication between the American government and the Escambray movement. Morgan moved into the position of Commander in the movement as he was favored by the U.S. as strong opposition to Castro and potential transition leader of the people. However, upon Morgan's capture and execution in March 1961 the movement was dealt its first major defeat. Before Morgan's capture and death, the United States was in close contact with the National Front formulating a plan to attack the Castro regime directly and restore an anti-communist government. This plan was constructed in coordination with the

Eisenhower administration Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as the 34th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1953, and ended on January 20, 1961. Eisenhower, a Republican from Kansas, took office following a landslide victory ov ...

during the American President's second term, but the planning took place too close to the end of Eisenhower's term and would have to postponed until the next President took office. With the election of John F. Kennedy it was expected that the operation would be put on hold in order for the new administration to be informed of the situation. In January 1961 Menoyo took a small group of Front members and traveled to Florida to form

Alpha 66 Alpha 66 is an anti-Castro paramilitary organization. The group was originally formed by Cuban exiles in the early 1960s and was most active in the late 1970s and 1980s. Its activities declined in the 1980s. Historian Alan McPherson describes it a ...

an elite division of Cuban fighters to participate in the planned operation known as the

Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called ''Invasión de Playa Girón'' or ''Batalla de Playa Girón'' after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles, covertly fina ...

. However, the Kennedy Administration greenlighted the operation for April 17, 1961 and

was unable to deploy. The invasion was unsuccessful as the Cuban fighters were outgunned causing the United States to call off the attack. After the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion U.S. support began to dwindle as the movement was handed its second major defeat in a matter of months.

Late Years and Defeat (1962–1964)

Following a series of tactical defeats, the National Front persisted in operation despite losing two leaders. Menoyo remained in Florida with the Alpha 66 and a small collection of leaders maintain organized strikes on farms and industrial outskirts. This period prior to the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

in October 1962, saw a stagnation of movement operations as strikes became more routinized. This stagnation was due to the series of defeats the movement suffered in 1961, thus preventing the group from engaging in any major operations with support from the U.S. as communications with the Americans decreased after the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis one of the conditions of peace between the United States and Soviet Union was for the United States to cut all aid to Cuban insurgencies. This meant that the Second National Front of Escambray would no longer have American support of any kind. The absence of American aid meant that munitions and medical supplies would no longer be provided thus further prohibiting the movement from any major conflict as they would not be able to treat the injured. The final defeat of the movement came in 1964 when Menoyo returned from Florida in December 1964, to mount a coastal assault in northern Cuba. The result was Menoyo being captured by the Cuban Government and the leadership of the movement surrendering formally to the regime. This marked the end of the Second National Front of Escambray.

References

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