Re: Scale Models - Aircraft, Battle Tanks & Ships Quote:
Originally Posted by V.Narayan I assume you mean that the 21st Interceptor Regiment took part in the Bay of Pigs 1962 action and later inducted the MiG-21bis. |
Yes sir, the regiment was a part of the of the Brigada de Aviación de la Guardia Playa Girón (Girón Beach Guard Aviation Brigade). After the Cuban Revolution in which Fidel Castro's rebels seized power after ousting Cuban government, the brigade was formed in 1959 with the remnants of the erstwhile Fuerza Aerea Ejercito de Cuba (FAEC) - Cuban Army Air Force.
In April 1961 the Brigade received their baptism of fire at Playa Girón, when with 11 pilots and nine planes (Douglas A-26 Invader, T-33 and Hawker Sea Fury) in poor condition and without parts, they carried out more than 60 combat missions, in which they shot down atleast two A-26s, and sank several ships and barges of Brigade 2506 that was invading the Bay of Pigs (Brigade 2506 was a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro). It was then that the Brigade was honored with the title of “Bay of Pigs” Guard Brigade,
Since 1961, it began to fly Soviet origin fighters like the MiG-17 , MiG-19 , MiG-21 , MiG-23 and MiG-29. |