Moncada+Barracks+Attack,+1953

On July 26, 1953, at 5:00AM, Fidel Castro and his brother Raul led a group of approximately 160 rebels in an attack on the second largest military garrison in Cuba, the Moncada Barracks. The group formed a caravan of cars in order to give the appearance of being a delegation headed by a high-ranking officer sent from western Cuba. Their plan was to take the barracks, including the radio transmitter inside it, and use it to broadcast propaganda to the Cuban people, with the hope of bringing down the Batista government. The caravan became separated by the time it arrived at the barracks, and the car carrying the guerillas' heavy weapons got lost. The rebels also lost the element of surprise when Castro lost control of his car, crashed. In the end, the rebels were outnumbered more than 10 to 1. Sixty-one rebels were killed in the fighting, and one third of them were captured. Half of the men captured were tortured to death. A handful of rebels, including Fidel Castro, escaped into the nearby countryside but were apprehended shortly thereafter.