English Translation of "Bay of Pigs
Letter" Written to Emilio Salazar from his friend Ponzoa
The Bay of Pigs Invasion (known as "La Battalla de Girón, or Playa Girón
in Cuba) was an attempt (unsuccessful, unfortunately) by a group of
Cuban exiles who were trained by the US CIA to infiltrate southern Cuba
and to take Cuba back from Fidel Castro. The Cubans desperately
wanted to reclaim their homes and were willing to risk their lives with
any plan, however risky. This took place in April of 1961, just 3
months after JF Kennedy became president of the United States. The
Cuban armed forces, trained mostly by the Russians, defeated the
American trained combatants in just 3 days.
During many years Bill Butler's first cousin, Emilio Salazar, flew
together with Gustavo Ponzoa as Captains with Cubana de Aviación, a
Cuban airline company, both nationally and worldwide. They also shared
their love in flying model airplanes which they would do every weekend
they had free at the Colombia Airport in Marianao, near Havana. Emilio
had seen the writing on the wall in 1960 and had returned to Lafayette,
Indiana where he had studied and trained during the early 1950's.
Gustavo joined Brigade 2506 to become part of the Bay of Pigs invasion
team. He wrote this first letter to his good friend Emilio which was
followed by a second one, lost to the moment, detailing the actual
combat part of the operation.
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LETTER WRITTEN BY GUSTAVO PONZOA TO
EMILIO SALAZAR
REGARDING HIS BAY OF PIGS MISSION
Dec 2 - 61
My dear friend Emilio, I received your
letter and am pleased to hear you are well and happy, and flying and
with all or almost all of your family.. Say HI to Caleza-Martinez and to
'commander' "Q" as Carmelo called him in Madrid!
Also say hi to .. and send me his address - to Federico Campos.., of
Wichita, as I would like to write him - to hear all of the latest
details of his life in Cuba and when he left, and how he left his home -
the furniture, etc. I don't know where to start to tell you since there
is so much I can almost make a book almost as good as any you have read.
(Action in the air). In general I'll give you a brief idea of how it all
went and later, in another letter I will relate the details, the combat
action and how each one of us made out. I'll start by telling you that
the first day of war action they knocked out with one canon shot 'Danny'
Fernandez Mon - and he blew up in the air in front of the Biltmore and
fell in the water whatever was left of him - his loss hurt me as he was
good - and competent - and he demonstrated who are men and who are mice.
page 2
I left Cuba on 2 July via the embassy of Brazil - I was in Miami until
August 28 1960 where we had a group of about 80 men, pilots from
different groups..Cubana, Aerolinias Q, Expreso Aereo, Aeropostal, Cuban
Navy and Army - ex pilots and ex bastista people so it was not an
amalgam all that difficult to figure out in particular during those
first months when we had a hard time understanding each other. When some
of the guys got hot under the collar the discussion became, I would say,
serious, but at the end, the serious work as well as the spiritual and
moral pains ended up turning us into a magnificent combat "outfit". The
Americans remained awed by our work - as much flying in combat that
working like peons (I lost 36 pounds) imagine the shape I was in. Many
times we remembered you.. Mario and I .. of our model airplanes and our
easy life -that was our beloved Cuba (If I keep rambling I will never
finish).. so I will be more brief.
Well, as I was saying -we were 9 months in Guatemala, in a place known
as Retalhuleo on the Pacific coast about 60 miles from the Mexican
border.
page 3
Wilderness - and animals, and big volcanoes 13,000 feet high and always
short of return fuel... real scary.. however.. in 70 missions we made
over Cuba, even though we were shot at every now and then, we never had
a serious accident.
Practicing and flying daily during 9 months we were sharp. (We, the
airline pilots turned out to be aces (modesty aside) .. brother.. our
background and the experience no one can take it away. ( and of course..
those masculine hormones.. without those you're done..)
About in October we began the flights over Cuba - different zones..
doing droppings.. of arms and supplies in general. I'd fly a DC-4 or a
B-26 as well as a C-46. I was Capt of B-26 and the DC-4. Mario Tellechea
(who resulted an ace and all man) flew the C-46 and DC-4 as Capt as did
Pepito "sopita" Ricky Etchegoyen, Eduardo Ferrer, Fausto Valdez,
Cereceda, Rene Gardia, Gonzalo G. Herrera, Danny - Toribio Cosme, etc.
later I will tell you the rest.. Military and marines.. who I admire who
acted like real men. During our months of training we were
page 4
not allowed to leave the base.. as supposedly all was top secret
(although the rest of the world knew better than we did.
One night in a practice Drop Perez Menendez hit the point of a hill (how
he lived I will never know) for he tore off .. without exaggerating .. 3
meters of the left wing tip and it opened up wide - he lost motor # 2 as
it just hung from the frame.. he had 3000 indicating at the moment of
the accident.. he held take off power on the remaining 3 motors and the
plane flew with but 120 IND and he was losing altitude. Number 4 catches
fire and he has no alternative and he ditches on the coast on a sandy
beach. And to sum up, nothing happened to anyone.. his only lament was
the loss of the plane. ( I told you old Pepe is a toughie.. he acted
like a boy of 20 years and brave all the way.. on another flight they
almost shot him down over the Escambray hills.. he lost two motors and
had to land in Montego Bay - with the plane all shot up... after
finishing the drop.
Page 5
To Marco flying a C-46 they almost got him doing a Drop in Cojimar.. he
returned and had to make a belly landing (perfect). I had to make a
belly landing in a B-26 while we were training.. Mario was an instructor
in C-46 and Gonzalo Herrera and I in the B-26,.. we were selected by two
gringos after checking us over. Well.. more or less.. that is how the
first 8 months went by between one thing and another until the big day
came.
Emilio, far from what the great majority think I will tell you that we
had all of the necessary resources.. and we had more than enough ability
to have knocked out Fidel - "BUT" the damned US government (not to
mention three names in particular) ordered the cessation of operations
after the first bombing which resulted in a fabulous success for us..
for that reason and that reason only the operation was discontinued
which for us was extremely painful - what the rest you may have heard
are just stories and lies
Page 6
It is true we never had "fighter planes" but as the operation was
planned, they were not necessary - I give you my word of honor. Our air
power consisted of 17 B-26 with a solid nose with 8 50 caliber in the
nose - 8 5 inch rockets on the wings - 3000 pounds of bombs in the belly
and 2 auxiliary fuel tanks of 230 gallons each.
8 C-54 and 7 C-46 (The infantry 1300 men "160 paratroopers" the best you
can imagine all with tough men and it resulted they were all heroes
ready to die in battle - and how well prepared we were.. 3 ships of 4000
tons and 3 landing craft and 40 or 60 high speed 40 knot boats - and we
had all the necessary and more.. an aircraft carrier Shangri La and 6
destroyers of the US Navy.. but the SOB up high there did not allow us
to go into action as we were promised (that was the downfall of the
invasion, without going into detail but as I told you, I could write a
book (perhaps I will do it.. I am thinking about it..
page 7
I will end this letter here for it is getting too long.
I mentioned your friends with whom you can very proud of having them as
friends.. the order in which I list them does not represent the order of
bravery since they were all magnificent .. some more than others.. 3 or
4 almost lost it and cried from fear.
B-26 handsome and valiant - crazy Gonzalito Herrera - for me the best of
them all and I think all believe as I do .. what Gonzalo did cannot be
described in words.. he is a vicious devil - Rene Garcia - Fabulous -
exact and brave in ways you cannot possibly imagine. He volunteered when
others who lost their balls failed - modesty to one side he who writes
you I have always accomplished with super luck with no limits... because
I should have been dead a long while ago. Varela - Cortina Alvarez,
Zuñiga very good and brave also, Sotico Toury, etc.
Toribio, in my judgment, ran scared a bit since he was the combat
squadron leader and he only made one combat mission while the rest of us
made 4 missions (del carajo between you and I). I felt the fear a
thousand times but I never lost it.. furthermore, I was sure in the last
two missions that I would be shot down sure as hell since we had already
page 8
lost 8 planes. (14 crew members dead - we paid a fairly high toll) - now
I want you to know.. (this is barely known in the rest of the world)
that we caused Fidel at lest 4000 casualties and this has never been
published - but it is the truth.
Tellechea with a single shot knocked down a Sea fury!! what do you think
- well my friend I will continue in another as I must have lunch and
after to the movies since tomorrow I have a flight.
Have you heard I have done the crazy thing of my life and got married!?
Now I am really done in for good -
PS My first target was Santiago de Cuba 15 April 1961 5:45 am. Gonzalo
Herrera was my #2. 23 minutes over the target - we did it all in,
including # 172 plane that was on the ramp ready to go.. I dropped a
small bomb right in its middle.. maybe you saw the fotos in Life.. (like
the 3 B-26 2 Sea fury 1 T-33, 1 PBY, 1 Aerocomander, 1 Blovey - 1 C-45m
8 small planes in a hangar at Moa Bay and the fuel tanks.. what do you
think??
Love you the Miro
G Ponzoa |