American Strategic Deception Bureau

　It's just a small seaside fishing port. Why would such a rural place become so difficult to conquer in the hands of the communists?

　——When the main force of the 2506th Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General San Roman, was

　While drifting on the sea 65 kilometers south of Cuba, the deputy brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Irnedo Oliva, led a small force and launched a harassing sneak attack on Guantanamo Province, the easternmost part of the island of Cuba.

　Specifically, Lieutenant Colonel Oliva set sail from Puerto Plata in the northern Dominican Republic with a reinforced battalion of about 600 people, boarding three merchant ships and two landing craft, and escorted by two US destroyers and a US landing ship, to launch a surprise attack on the town of Maisi, more than 300 kilometers away.

　At the same time, the US troops stationed at Guantanamo Bay will deliberately make some assembly and mobilization gestures to attract the attention of the Cubans.

　At that time, if the Cuban revolutionary army mistakenly judged this place as the main landing site and mobilized the reserve troops to rush to the easternmost end of the country, a remote place 900 kilometers away from Havana, then the defense forces in the central region would become greatly empty, which would be beneficial for the main force to break through the beachhead.

　Even if Castro remained unmoved, this feint attack could at least attract troops from the eastern Cuban theater, preventing them from supporting the main battlefield in the center.

　Then, according to the CIA, Guantanamo Province is the easternmost province of Cuba, and Maisi is the easternmost town in Guantanamo Province. It is a rural area that is so remote that its defenses must be weak, and a reinforced battalion of mercenaries can easily take it down.

　What really worried the CIA was that Maisi was too remote. Even if it was captured by mercenaries, the capital Havana might still be unaware of it.

　Therefore, Team Leader Estelian specially arranged war correspondents for the feint attack force to follow the landing fleet, ready to broadcast the war news to the world immediately after the "rebels" occupied the small town, as well as a live radio interview with the "Cuban freedom fighters."

　As it turned out, reality was very different from what the CIA spies had imagined.

　——Even in such a remote town with a population of only one or two thousand, Lieutenant Colonel Irnedo Oliva almost ran into trouble!

　At 4 a.m. on January 5, in order to scout the route for the landing troops, special forces divers sent by the United States secretly climbed onto the beach near the town of Maisi under cover of darkness. As soon as they landed, they encountered a five-man Cuban militia patrolling in a car.

　While blocking the enemy landing on the beach, these people used the walkie-talkie in their car to call the police. Unfortunately, they were outnumbered and all died heroically.

　But their final report still reached Havana. The full text consisted of only three sentences: The enemy has landed; we will fight to the death; we will defend our motherland to the death!

　These five brave militiamen ultimately completed the task of blocking the enemy's landing with their blood and lives, buying time for the deployment of defense in the rear towns.

　The reinforced battalion of rebels then waded ashore one after another. However, the eighty-odd Cuban militiamen in Maisi had already deployed their defenses.

　Although these militiamen were indeed lacking in training, they still demonstrated extraordinary combat effectiveness when fighting on their home turf, which they were most familiar with.

　The two sides fought in the narrow streets from morning to afternoon, killing more than 50 mercenaries and destroying five jeeps and a landing craft. However, they still failed to completely annihilate these Cuban militiamen, who came from poor rural peasant families and had just been allocated land.

　During this period, more than 400 Cuban militiamen came along the road from the nearby city of Baracoa to reinforce them. Fortunately, the mercenary air force discovered this movement and launched an airstrike and strafing attack on them, successfully destroying the reinforcements.

　However, another group of about 30 Cuban border guards were not spotted by the rebel reconnaissance aircraft. Instead, they quietly rushed to the beach near the town of Maisi at noon, setting fires and firing rockets everywhere, causing serious losses to the mercenaries on the landing site.

　Lieutenant Colonel Oliva was forced to deploy more than half of his troops outside the town to guard and block enemy reinforcements. Deploying only two companies to attack the town resulted in street fighting that lasted until dusk, leaving the lieutenant colonel feeling deeply embarrassed in front of the accompanying journalists.

　However, with the US Navy landing ship sending two rebel M41 light tanks ashore, the rebels finally crushed the last line of defense of the town militia with the tanks leading the way and rushed into the ruined church.

　However, before Lieutenant Colonel Oliva saw the red flag on the roof of the church being torn down, he heard a deafening "boom", a dazzling flame rose up, and a huge cloud of smoke engulfed the entire church - this was the Cuban Red Militia detonating the ammunition depot at the last moment!

　Well, despite being beaten so badly by a group of "mobs", this feint attack force finally captured the town of Maisi.

　The war correspondent, who had previously received a special allowance from the CIA, tried hard to conceal the contempt in his eyes and did his best to write a brilliant press release to inform the world that the "Cuban volunteers pursuing freedom" had successfully fought back to their homeland and established a "solid position of freedom."

　After counting his remaining available troops, Lieutenant Colonel Oliva had to consider with deep concern: should he make a quick exit, plant a flag, pose for a few photos, and then immediately board the ship and return to the sea? Or should he bite the bullet and hold out among the ruins of Maisi Town?

　After a day of fierce fighting, nearly half of the reinforced battalion under his command had been killed or wounded, with only more than 300 people still capable of fighting.

　The Cuban freedom fighters who had said they would immediately join the fight as soon as the "rebels" came ashore were nowhere to be seen.

　However, in Guantanamo Province, the Cuban revolutionary government, in addition to local militias, also deployed a border brigade to monitor the US military base, with about 3000 regular troops.

　If this force abandons its surveillance of the US military base and turns around to attack Maisi Town...

　The incomplete and demoralized small force under Lieutenant Colonel Irnedo Oliva is in danger of being wiped out!

　However, just as he was looking at the twilight in the sky, looking ahead and behind, the radio operator started shouting happily.

　"Good news! Sir! Good news! There's a fight going on at Guantanamo! We're going to win!"

　"What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't we fighting in Guantanamo Bay now?" Lieutenant Colonel Oliva was confused.

　"Sorry, sir, I didn't make myself clear. It's not here, it's the US military base at Guantanamo Bay! The US troops there are at war with Castro's army! Uncle Sam is officially out! We've already won this battle!"

　"What?!" Oliva was shocked at first, then his face was filled with ecstasy, "Thank God, Castro is about to be finished!"

　-

　Generally speaking, in the media around the world, when people talk about Guantanamo, they are usually referring to the Guantanamo Bay US military base on the island of Cuba, a special prison used to detain "terrorists" and a notorious place of torture.

　But in fact, it is the earliest military base established by the United States overseas. It was built during the Spanish-American War in 1898. At that time, the first batch of US troops to invade Cuba landed at Guantanamo Bay, and they forcibly leased this place and have stayed here ever since.

　Please note that the Guantanamo Bay US military base is not a small place with only a military camp or an airport. Instead, it covers an area of ​​117 square kilometers, which is larger than the territory of many mini countries. Among them, 78 square kilometers are land and 39 square kilometers are sea.

　Let’s make a comparison here - the area of ​​Hong Kong Island is only 80 square kilometers, which is not much different from the Guantanamo Bay base.

　At the same time, Guantanamo is also the name of a province in Cuba and the name of the capital city of this province. Of course, since Cuba is a small country, Guantanamo Province is only more than 6,000 square kilometers, which is about the same size as a prefecture-level city in China.

　Guantanamo City, the provincial capital, and Guantanamo Bay Base are both located on the shores of Guantanamo Bay, fifteen kilometers apart.

　Although Guantanamo Bay is leased by the United States, it does not lease the entire bay. Guantanamo Bay is gourd-shaped, with its mouth facing south and divided into two bay areas, the inner and outer bays. The United States only leases the outer bay, while the inner bay still belongs to the city of Guantanamo, Cuba.

　The United States has built a naval base in the outer bay of Guantanamo Bay, including an airport and several military docks that can dock and repair aircraft carriers.

　Cuba also has a port in Guantanamo Bay, but the bay's entrance is controlled by the US military, and merchant ships must pass through the US military base to go out to sea.

　In the early years, relations between the US military base at Guantánamo Bay and the city of Guantánamo Bay were good, allowing Cuban merchant ships to sail freely. Consumption by US military personnel in Guantánamo Bay significantly boosted the local market economy, and various legal trade and smuggling businesses also flourished.

　But after Castro established the Cuban revolutionary regime and turned Cuba into the first socialist country in the Western Hemisphere, relations between the two sides immediately took a sharp turn for the worse, and a military restricted zone similar to the "38th Parallel" on the Korean Peninsula appeared between the Guantanamo base and Guantanamo City.

　Castro deployed the country's only border brigade here, and later added an artillery regiment and a heavy rocket artillery regiment from Soviet reinforcements.

　The Cuban revolutionary government has demanded that the United States return the Guantanamo base every year and refused to accept rent, but the United States has always refused to give up the base.

　Therefore, in order to drive out the Americans entrenched in its own territory, the Cuban revolutionary regime adopted many pressure measures, such as cutting off the water and electricity supply to the Guantanamo base, severing trade, turning the base into an isolated island on land, and attempting to starve the Americans to death of thirst.

　However, the US military used its own fleet to transport supplies, built an independent power plant and seawater desalination facilities in Guantanamo, and bought water from Jamaica, which was transported to Guantanamo on time by ships, and thus managed to survive here.

　At the same time, in retaliation, the US military not only massively increased its troops at the Guantanamo base as a threat, but also blocked the entrance to Guantanamo Bay, prohibiting merchant ships from entering and leaving. As a result, the Cuban city of Guantanamo was blocked inland, lost its access to the sea, and quickly fell into depression.

　After Operation Tropic Thunder began, relations between the two sides became even more tense, and both entered the highest level of combat readiness. The atmosphere between them was like a powder keg, and a war would break out as soon as a spark flew.

　Then, this Mars arrived.

　- In coordination with Lieutenant Colonel Irnedo Oliva's feint attack on the Guantanamo Bay coastline, eight rebel B-26 Invader attack aircraft bombed the Cuban Border Brigade headquarters and Soviet camp in Guantanamo Bay at noon on January 5, causing a brief period of communication chaos.

　It just so happened that these rebel planes flew over the US military base and then bombed Guantanamo Bay...

　As a result, the highly nervous Soviet heavy rocket artillery regiment mistakenly thought that American planes were bombing them, and immediately retaliated, launching more than 100 "Katyusha" rockets at the Guantanamo base, damaging several US warships anchored in the harbor and killing and injuring dozens of US soldiers.

　The US military, which had been beaten badly, was unwilling to give in. It immediately fired back at the enemy positions around Guantanamo Bay and sent planes to bomb Guantanamo again.

　City... Although the U.S. Marines have not yet left the base, the attention of the entire Cuba has been drawn to Guantanamo.

　In other words, the feint operation was a complete success.

　Then, on the third day of Operation Tropic Thunder, the main force of the 2506th Brigade Mercenaries finally landed!

　Author's words: PS: According to historical records, the population, military strength and carrying capacity of the Kazakh steppe are more than twice that of the Mongolian steppe.

　But why has it always been the Mongols chasing and beating the Kazakhs since ancient times, instead of the other way around?

　The Dzungar Khanate treated the Kazakh steppe as a blood bag. When it was hurt by the Qing Dynasty in the east, it went to the west to rob the Kazakhs to make up for its losses.

　They're all nomads, so why is there such a huge gap? And the nomads in the west should have a greater advantage in weapon technology.

　Chapter 104: Burning Cuba

　At noon on January 6, 1962, the third day of Operation Tropic Thunder, in the waters south of Trinidad, Cuba

　Under the scorching Caribbean sun, which was still scorching even in winter, Jacob Esteline, the head of the CIA's Cuban Special Task Force, lay on the railing of a merchant ship, looking at the Cuban coastline ahead through a telescope.

　Under the bright sunshine, the white clouds in the sky flow slowly, the green woods sway in the wind, and the edges of the leaves reflect a faint golden light.

　The cranes at the dock and scattered buildings are hidden in the lush tropical jungle, with the towering mountains as their backs, appearing well-proportioned.

　——This is the auxiliary port of Trinidad: Porto Casilda.

　The city center of Trinidad is located in a valley 6 kilometers from the port: this is also the norm in Latin American coastal cities. In order to avoid storms and pirate attacks, most ancient cities are not built directly on the coastline, but are located in inland areas several kilometers away from the coast.

　The city of Trinidad in Cuba was founded by Columbus's generals and was built in the 16th century. It is located on the southern foot of the Escambray Mountains in central Cuba, sandwiched between steep mountains and the vast Caribbean Sea.

　By American standards, this small town nestled between the mountains and the sea can be said to have a long history. It has completely preserved the cultural features of the colonial period and is famous for its distinctive architecture. The architectural art styles from the 16th century to the 19th century are harmoniously unified here.

　The city's streets are paved with gravel or cobblestones, and are lined with houses in various Baroque and Neoclassical styles. Their yellow walls, red tiles, and white decorative bands create a vibrant, vibrant look. Plaza Mayor is the symbol of the city. Dominating the square are towering palm trees and a statue of the goddess Tersicore, the city's patron saint. Surrounding the square are numerous churches, monasteries, and palaces, creating a rich tropical atmosphere.

　- On another historical line, the Cuban city of Trinidad will be listed as a World Heritage Site in 1988, along with the remains of the slave sugar factory in the Los Inhainhos Valley, 12 kilometers away from the city.

　But at this moment, this quaint and elegant Caribbean town was ravaged by the ruthless war.

　First, the rebels' B-26 Invader attack aircraft and "Vampire" fighter-bombers had bombed the city of Trinidad, Puerto Casilda, and the Los Inhainhos Valley (Sugar Valley) for three consecutive days, bombing the local garrison camps to pieces.

　Secondly, early this morning, 220 paratroopers from the 2506th Brigade, carrying heavy equipment, landed at the Isnaca Estate and nearby sugarcane fields in the Los Inhainhos Valley in seven C-46 and three C-54 transport aircraft.

　Unfortunately, these paratroopers landed right in the Cuban militia's assembly area, proving the saying "paratroopers are born to be surrounded." However, the well-trained paratroopers were able to handle the poorly trained militia with ease, and were not immediately annihilated.

　Afterwards, the rebels' P-51 fighter planes were dispatched urgently to carry out ground-strafing on the Cuban militia who were besieging the paratroopers. They also airdropped ammunition supplies and more 75mm recoilless guns. The paratroopers finally dispersed the militia who had only homemade hunting rifles in their hands at 10 a.m. and captured the Isnaka Manor.

　Today, for the Cuban revolutionaries in the seaside fortress, there are bombers repeatedly attacking from the sky and rebel paratroopers rioting behind them.

　Although these communists hid in the seemingly solid coastal defense fortifications, they must have been extremely frightened inside, right?

　As the agent of the financier behind this war, Estelion thought so and believed that the time was ripe to launch the final attack: "Notify Brigadier General Saint Roman, the landing operation has begun!"

　At his command, the escorting Jianghe-class frigate, the Mera, shuddered and spit out orange flames, while its companions followed suit. Four-inch projectiles streaked crimson trails through the air, landing on the Cuban coastline.

　Both frigates were turned sideways, their turrets firing alternately, spewing smoke and fire in turn, and the sound of the guns rumbled and shook the sea.

　Countless steel bullets streaked across the sea and landed on the shore, sending up scarlet flames and smoke, which soon formed a thick cloud of smoke.

　The Cuban Revolutionary Army's coastal artillery was no slouch either. Several well-hidden coastal fortress guns, having evaded airstrikes, began to fire back, sending columns of water rising from the sides of the two frigates. Some shells exploded in the air, sending shrapnel flying and striking the steel plates with a piercing whistle.

　Suddenly, a guard

　The ship was hit in the ammunition depot, and a huge explosion occurred with a deafening sound. A turret was blown into the air like a toy.

　Seeing this, the remaining frigate, the Mera, was terrified and dared not fire at the shore artillery anymore. It immediately released smoke and turned around to evacuate the coastline.

　But Brigadier General Saint-Roman remained unmoved and continued to give orders over the radio: "Advance team, board the boats!"

　After hearing this, the mercenaries rushed to the deck as if they had been pardoned - they had really had enough of the sailing life in the past few days.

　Despite the refreshing sea breeze, the cabins of each troop transport were airtight, and the air was filled with the stench of sweat, body odor, and other strange smells. These "sardine cans" carried both cargo and people, and the living conditions were extremely poor, just like those on slave ships.

　They climbed over the rope net with their bags on their backs and descended onto the infantry landing craft. From time to time, people or objects fell into the sea, and curses were heard frequently.

　But in the end, all kinds of infantry landing craft, tank landing craft and fiberglass boats were organized in a messy manner. Under the guidance of minesweepers, they headed for the coastline of Cuba. Although they were small boats, they still looked quite impressive when approaching the coast.

　As a result, the coastal defense artillery fire on the shore became more intense. For a while, all you could see were flashing red lights and rumbling cannon fire.

　However, these landing craft obviously had no intention of rushing straight into the enemy camp and letting their thin boats collide head-on with the artillery shells. Instead, they drew an arc obliquely on the sea, bypassing the exposed coastal defense artillery bunkers, trying to find a beach to land outside the fire coverage of the defenders!

　——This is the technique used by warships to destroy artillery batteries, which has been used since the age of sail: avoid landing on the artillery batteries, and then go around to the back to launch a ground attack!

　During the Opium War, most of the Qing army's artillery positions on the southeast coast fell under the bayonet charges of the landing British lobster soldiers.

　After discovering the rebels' intentions, the Cuban defenders, lacking composure, no longer cared about hiding their firepower. Instead, they pushed out all the artillery they could, trying to cut the rain of bullets into the formation of the landing boats, causing them to be overturned and sunk by the water columns and huge waves like autumn leaves in the wind.

　However, the shore artillery is fixed after all, while the landing craft are flexible. They are like a cat touching a red-hot coal. When they encounter artillery fire, they retreat, then go around to a farther place to try to dock, and finally find a remote enough beach to run ashore.

　During the beaching process, some landing craft were damaged by underwater coral reefs, forcing the soldiers aboard to abandon their ships and wade ashore. However, the majority of the soldiers successfully navigated the landing craft and small boats to the beach, quickly seizing advantageous terrain, taking commanding heights, and controlling the beachhead.

　By 2 p.m., more than a thousand mercenaries had successfully landed, and five M41 light tanks had been sent ashore.

　Brigadier General San Roman ordered the tanks to be formed into an armored unit, which would bypass the Cuban revolutionary army's positions and cut off the highway between the city of Trinidad and Port Casilda, as well as the six-kilometer-long urban railway between the two (which could be regarded as a light rail in the steam era).

　But Castro in Havana also woke up from his dream and finally determined that the rebels' real main attack point was not Guantanamo, but Trinidad.

　So Castro immediately ordered all possible forces to be mobilized to counterattack the Trinidad landing site, and at the same time delivered a national speech.

　In his speech, Castro declared that a group of counter-revolutionaries composed of Cuban exiles had invaded Cuban territory with the support of the United States. They wanted to destroy the Cuban Revolution and deprive the Cuban people of all the dignity and rights they had gained after the revolution.

　If Cuban farmers do not want the arable land they have just acquired to be taken away by the United Fruit Company again, they must support the government to win this battle!

　For a time, the entire island of Cuba was in an uproar.

　Although a few "class enemies" who had just been defeated were celebrating and looking forward to the "American imperial army" and "freedom army" returning to Cuba to "restore order" and trample the poor peasants who had forgotten the moral principles of hierarchy back into the mud.

　But more poor peasants, workers and young students took up their rifles with enthusiasm and walked or drove to the battlefield from all over the country.

　Che Guevara, who had just taken over as commander of the Central Theater, was also very excited and immediately led a T-54 tank regiment and three motorized infantry regiments from Santa Clara to Trinidad to join the battle. However, due to the bombing and destruction of many bridges along the way, the support army's advance was very slow.

　At 3:00 PM, the rebel paratroopers stationed at the Isnaca estate repelled another Cuban militia counterattack. However, they had suffered heavy losses and were running low on ammunition. Fortunately, the CIA's transport aircraft were able to deliver a resupply of ammunition.

　Afterwards, the anti-Castro "White Guerrillas" active in the Escambray Mountains finally joined forces with these paratroopers trapped behind enemy lines.

　At the same time, shortly after leaving the beach, the rebel armored forces encountered armored troops of the revolutionary army sent from the city of Trinidad.

　A fierce battle erupted between five M41 light tanks and four T-34s at the foot of Mount Escambray, with the rebels' armored corps ultimately defeated. They lost four M41 light tanks but only managed to destroy one T-34. But then, six rebel B-26 Invader bombers roared in, bombing the newly victorious Cuban revolutionary armored corps and easily destroying the remaining three T-34s.

　At 4 p.m., the Cuban revolutionary government dispatched its only remaining B-26 Invader bomber.