SKS Cuban revolution
- Thread starter ctmm
- Start date
I think most of the stuff used were US Weapons and FN-Fals captured from the Batista Forces. The VZ 52/57 were used later in Angola. I did see some SKS rifles used by the Honour Guard at Fidel Castro grave site in Santiago de Cuba a couple of years ago.
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I see the vz52/57 was pretty common.
The Cuban revolutionaries used mostly American weapons and a few from elsewhere in the neighborhood. Anything they could get their hands on. There's a Cristobal Carbine in the Santa Clara museum and some submachine guns that look shop built. After the revolution they purchased weapons from FN at first, including the FAL. When things soured with the Americans they turned to the Commies and procured many weapons from the from the Czechs . This is a Czech built DShk.
Grizz
The Cuban revolutionaries used mostly American weapons and a few from elsewhere in the neighborhood. Anything they could get their hands on. There's a Cristobal Carbine in the Santa Clara museum and some submachine guns that look shop built. After the revolution they purchased weapons from FN at first, including the FAL. When things soured with the Americans they turned to the Commies and procured many weapons from the from the Czechs . This is a Czech built DShk.
Grizz
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The SKS was used. There are numerous photos of them, along with a plethora of random rifles from Carcano M1891's to FAL's, SVT's, Mosin's, Federov's, AK's, hunting rifles. All sorts of stuff. Of course, loads of US small arms.
It's almost as if they were all armed by Bannerman's surplus in the 50's! (They, of course, weren't).
I have seen government collections in Cuba behind closed doors and they have such an impressive (from a collectors perspective) array of small arms used in the revolution.
Batista's forces before the revolution were armed much like US soldiers were before WW2. M1903 Springfield rifles and Colt service pistols.
Photo where you can see a M1941 Johnson rifle.
VZ-52's were used, and some VZ-52/57's...
Cuban "reserves" today...
It's almost as if they were all armed by Bannerman's surplus in the 50's! (They, of course, weren't).
I have seen government collections in Cuba behind closed doors and they have such an impressive (from a collectors perspective) array of small arms used in the revolution.
Batista's forces before the revolution were armed much like US soldiers were before WW2. M1903 Springfield rifles and Colt service pistols.
Photo where you can see a M1941 Johnson rifle.
VZ-52's were used, and some VZ-52/57's...
Cuban "reserves" today...
The FN FAL was the issue rifle for the Cuban forces before the revolution. They were marked on the right side of the magazine well with a coat of arms which was removed after the revolution. It's documented in R.Blake Stevens series on The FAL.
Belgium wasn't selling weapons to Cuba after Castro's murderers took over.
Yes, because Batista's dictatorial, democracy destroying murderers were that much better.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista
If you have a sh!t running a country, don't be surprised at the (over)reaction.
People have very short memories...
These standard FALs (with woodwork etc very similar to British Commonwealth L1A1) were ordered by the Battista regime, and partly delivered by the 1959 New Years Day occupation of Havana and surrender of the Gov't to Castro's rebels.
The Rifles carried the National Crest of Cuba on the right side magazine-well wall.
After some use in Cuba (including the defence against the "Bay of Pigs" invasion,) the Cubans gradually accepted Soviet arms (and Czech) and changed to using Soviet Bloc ammo. With their ventures into South American and African "freedom movements" the FN-FAL rifles, because of their 7,62 Nato calibre, were ideal rifles for use in such countries, were ammo was plentiful (stolen from Government troops). In order to avoid identifiying the rifles as Cuban, the crest was "milled out" completely, leaving a half-dollar sized hole in the right mag-well wall, which did not affect function.
Grizz
If you have a sh!t running a country, don't be surprised at the (over)reaction.
Castro only survived the Moncada Barracks fiasco, because he was closely tied to that "####" , by marriage.
His wife was the daughter of a Batista Cabinet member, most of his compadres were just shot.
Grizz
Castro only survived the Moncada Barracks fiasco, because he was closely tied to that "####" , by marriage.
His wife was the daughter of a Batista Cabinet member, most of his compadres were just shot. Grizz
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Castro only survived the Moncada Barracks fiasco, because he was closely tied to that "####" , by marriage.
Grizz
Ok. Doesn't change my point tho. If it wasn't him it woulda been someone else. You can't try and keep people down with the heel of your boot forever and expect business will continue as usual, life doesn't work like that.
Commies did not always win because they had support of oppressed. In many cases they won because their terror was many times more brutal, deadly and effective and because they had significant help of other commies from abroad, while other world was distancing from the conflict.
this is true of the various US backed coups around the world as well. pinochet, the taliban, etc
I think a pretty significant amount of the original AR-10s made it to cuba as well. similar to the FALs, they were originally sent to battista and intercepted
I'll just addd my throwaway coomments into this thhread.
Castro and his murderous, strangulating regime, was obviously not as psychotically genocidal, as say, the Cambodians, or, as the favorite of our current federal ruling party, the PRC, during the cultural revolution.
There is a tremendous amount of romanticized falsehoods surrounding Castro, Cuba, in general. The bizarre marketing cult of the barbaric "Che" is but one example. Who is behind perpetuating these lies, is something you can decide for yourself.
Castro was explicitly patriotic, Bourgeois, nationalist, and non-marxist, non-Soviet, and non-Communist during the entire armed struggle.... there are "famous" photos of him in New York City, with the beret, then en vogue. Then 2 years later, once he himself consolidates power, in his person, I believe around 1960, he pivots totally declares that he's a communist, he's always been a communist, and that now he is the Soviet Union's favorite ally. Make of that what you will.
Another small but telling example. Did you know that Cuba has a public health system? Of course everyone from Canada to Angola knows that. But did you know that Batista was the one to introduce it? A little detail lost in the revolutionary fervor.
Cuba is one of the strangest, sickest, most bizarrely repressed countries I have ever been to. And I liked it
Dueodde
Castro and his murderous, strangulating regime, was obviously not as psychotically genocidal, as say, the Cambodians, or, as the favorite of our current federal ruling party, the PRC, during the cultural revolution.
There is a tremendous amount of romanticized falsehoods surrounding Castro, Cuba, in general. The bizarre marketing cult of the barbaric "Che" is but one example. Who is behind perpetuating these lies, is something you can decide for yourself.
Castro was explicitly patriotic, Bourgeois, nationalist, and non-marxist, non-Soviet, and non-Communist during the entire armed struggle.... there are "famous" photos of him in New York City, with the beret, then en vogue. Then 2 years later, once he himself consolidates power, in his person, I believe around 1960, he pivots totally declares that he's a communist, he's always been a communist, and that now he is the Soviet Union's favorite ally. Make of that what you will.
Another small but telling example. Did you know that Cuba has a public health system? Of course everyone from Canada to Angola knows that. But did you know that Batista was the one to introduce it? A little detail lost in the revolutionary fervor.
Cuba is one of the strangest, sickest, most bizarrely repressed countries I have ever been to. And I liked it
Dueodde
Cuba is one of the strangest, sickest, most bizarrely repressed countries I have ever been to. And I liked it
If you have an open mind and are not judgmental until after you leave, it's a great place with great people. Interesting to meet a Cuban who lived and went to university in East Germany, he still had a wife and daughter there. LOL Just be careful what you say there and to who. I had the hotel fitness trainer pegged as the local security guy, just by how he was deferred to. There's always somebody watching. The revolution was very popular at the beginning, everybody hated and feared Batista, but then things went downhill quickly and Castro's guys were not shy about shooting people or seizing property. The lucky Cubans have relatives in Miami who send them a few bucks and consumer goods. One guy I talked to was even getting parts for his 55 Chevy from his American relatives. To boot, Canadians are doing their bit , to keep the place running and somewhat solvent. it is a strange place.
Grizz
If you have an open mind and are not judgmental until after you leave, it's a great place with great people. Interesting to meet a Cuban who lived and went to university in East Germany, he still had a wife and daughter there. LOL Just be careful what you say there and to who.
I had the hotel fitness trainer pegged as the local security guy, just by how he was deferred to. There's always somebody watching. The revolution was very popular at the beginning, everybody hated and feared Batista, but then things went downhill quickly and Castro's guys were not shy about shooting people or seizing property. The lucky Cubans have relatives in Miami who send them a few bucks and consumer goods. One guy I talked to was even getting parts for his 55 Chevy from his American relatives. To boot, Canadians are doing their bit , to keep the place running and somewhat solvent. it is a strange place.Grizz
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