Student militants seize Radio Reloj

Publication gave the guerrilla movement international visibility and weakened Batista’s information campaign.

Students attempted to kill Batista and spark a national uprising. The assault failed after fierce fighting in Havana.

José Antonio Echeverría seized the station and announced that Batista had fallen, but the broadcast was cut off before completion.

Police killed the student leader near the University of Havana after the palace and radio actions.

Women in the Revolutionary Directorate transported messages, sheltered activists and sustained clandestine work around the Havana action.

The assault exposed the willingness of urban revolutionaries to challenge the dictatorship at its centre, despite severe losses.

Police located and killed four Revolutionary Directorate survivors in a Havana apartment, deepening anger against Batista’s security forces.

Information provided to Batista’s police led them to four student revolutionaries hiding in Havana.

The Rebel Army attacked a fortified coastal garrison. The costly victory demonstrated its growing military capacity.

Medical work after the battle helped establish the Rebel Army’s claim to different rules of conduct from Batista’s forces.