Rebels halt the advance at Santo Domingo

The broadcast defended the failed strike movement, condemned Batista’s repression and insisted that the armed struggle would continue.

Batista sent thousands of soldiers into the Sierra Maestra to destroy a much smaller rebel force.

The government offensive combined military pressure with bombing and forced movement in areas suspected of supporting the rebels.

Rebel forces resisted the government’s summer offensive in difficult mountain terrain.

Guides, scouts and local knowledge allowed a much smaller force to resist Batista’s army in the mountains.

Rebels surrounded an army battalion near La Plata, cutting its supplies and communications.

The guerrillas cut roads and supplies, turning a government advance into a siege that undermined army morale.

Cuban opposition groups agreed to coordinate the struggle against Batista and support a provisional government after victory.

Major José Quevedo surrendered his surrounded force. The rebel victory became a turning point in the summer offensive.

The rebels treated prisoners and returned many through the Red Cross, using the victory to contrast their conduct with dictatorship violence.