On November 14, 1958, 65 years ago, troops under the command of Efigenio Ameijeiras and Félix Pena took the Imías Barracks and liberated the town, which until that moment was one of the best defended positions by the army that prevented the rebel advance.
Months before, on the occasion of the April 9 strike, Commander Raúl Castro Ruz, head of the II Frank País Eastern Front, entrusted Captain Ciro Frías Cabrera with the first attack on that enemy stronghold, where he heroically fell.
After some time, on June 11, 1958, there was a second attempt to assault that barrack, but the action was unsuccessful.
In November, the rebel troops again prepared to carry out another operation, which led to victory, and they named it Ciro Frías Cabrera in honor of the brave fighter, of whom Raúl stated upon learning of his death: “We have lost one of the bravest men in the troop.”
Since November 13, the Radio Rebelde station transmitted the orders of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro to all forces, in order to promote actions against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista during the Final Offensive.
Raúl had ordered the capture of the strategic enemy position and on November 9 the siege was consolidated and the rebel forces progressively increased the harassment of the barracks, and on the night of the 13th they ordered the garrison to surrender, but they received a volley of fire in response.
The mission was not easy, since more than 100 soldiers defended it, and it had been reinforced by men who disembarked from a frigate and advanced towards the town, despite being surrounded, thanks to the support of the naval unit’s guns and the fire of automatic rifle, machine guns and bazookas.
However, the rebel command strengthened the siege of the military enclave, which had superiority in weapons and defenders.
In their assault, the guerrilla forces had to fight hard against the soldiers, who defended themselves from trenches with heavy fire, responded effectively by the rebels using an improvised 20-millimeter cannon.
For the final combat, Raúl Castro sent a contingent led by Commander Efigenio Ameijeiras with the purpose of supporting Commander Félix Pena and his men, who were surrounding the enemy stronghold and requesting reinforcements.
Thus, with no other option than surrender, the troops of the Imías Barracks accepted their defeat on November 14 and the town was declared free territory. The hated property, the scene of crimes and torture for many years, was set on fire.
It was a matter of honor for the revolutionary fighters to achieve victory. That turned out to be a bloody combat, where the waste of courage and heroism prevailed.
As a result of the action, the rebel troops had 12 wounded, while the soldiers of the tyranny had nearly 30 dead and more than 30 wounded, 60 were taken prisoner and around 100 rifles, several machine guns, a mortar, a bazooka, communication equipment and ammunition.
With these means the Rebel Army had better combat capacity and consolidated the siege of Santiago de Cuba. In turn, it represented one of the most significant actions of the II Frank País Eastern Front and contributed to the definitive victory of January 1, 1959.
Translated by Liubis Balart Martínez
