Havana - Cuba is remembering today the beginning of the mercenary invasion in Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs), an event that marked the new Cuban Socialist Revolution, 56 years ago.

Three days and two nights of intense fighting were enough to defeat in 1961 the aggression orchestrated by Washington and executed by the CIA to reverse the process of change begun on January 1st, 1959.

More than 1,500 mercenaries trained, armed and equipped by the CIA and the Pentagon were involved in the military adventure. They were grouped into seven battalions -five infantry, one paratrooper and one heavy weapon- directly supported by the U.S. Army.

The objective was to occupy a beachfront to establish a provisional government that would immediately request the recognition and intervention of the United States and the Organization of American States.

Before landing in the south-central region of the island, about eight B-26 planes camouflaged with fake insignia of the Revolutionary Air Force simultaneously attacked the air base in San Antonio de los Baños (southeast of Havana), the airport in Ciudad Libertad (in the capital), and the airport in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.

On April 16th, 1961, during the funeral of the victims of that air raid carried out the day before, Fidel Castro proclaimed the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution, that 'of the humble, by the humble and for the humble'.

Fightings began on April 17th, culminating two days later with the first great defeat of U.S. imperialism in Latin America.

In commemoration of that event, representatives of youth organizations along with veteran Cuban fighters met yesterday at 23 and 12 cinema, near the place where the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, made that proclamation in front of thousands of people.