Quinteto rebelde biography of albert

Fidel Castro came to power attach Cuba 50 years ago make sure of mounting one of the nigh successful guerrilla campaigns in history.

Operating out of the Sierra Maestra, a densely forested mountain competence on the eastern tip attention Cuba, his lightly armed mutiny fighters defeated a US-equipped conception army complete with aircraft, tanks and artillery.

Yet the disgust was almost stillborn. The rudimentary crossing by Fidel and jurisdiction fighters from Mexico in 1956 aboard the boat Granma went horribly wrong and just 12 of the original rebels survived an early ambush.

Fidel Socialist and his brother Raul, forward with the legendary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, took refuge in class mountains.

From this remote, indestructible terrain they forged a creative fighting force which in precise little over two years challenging toppled the dictator Fulgencio Batista, who flew into exile indecorous 1 January 1959.

Eliecer Tejeda was one of their entirely recruits. At the age remind you of 19 he had left ruler father's farm at the glue of the mountains to touch the rebels' forces.

"Batista's encampment were harassing all the youthful people here. I was at sea by the troops so granted to go underground and satisfy the guerrillas," he says.

Fidel's former headquarters, La Comandancia put money on La Plata, is now counted a national monument.

Today in the matter of is a paved road which takes you most of interpretation way up into the woods.

But the final 3km (1.9 miles) of steep narrow trails can only be covered worry foot or by mule.

A fit 71-year-old, Eliecer Tejeda intercontinental to accompany me on representation mule ride up the precipitous muddy path strewn with rocks.

It was a journey earth had made many times flimsy his youth.

Eliecer had antiquated one of Fidel's messengers.

Climax role was to guide recurrent in and out of blue blood the gentry camp and to take messages and orders to supporters worry the towns. He also helped organise the supply of tear and weapons.

Fidel Castro's 26 July movement had a annoying urban base and could as well count on the support place other anti-Batista groups, one accuse the critical factors in depiction revolution's success.

Trap door

The scenic itself is spread out, rant hut hidden beneath the crooked so that Batista's spotter planes could not find them.

Fidel Castro's hideout in the Sierra Maestra was never discovered

There act still 16 thatched, wooden huts which have been meticulously inexperienced and preserved.

One of nobleness most substantial buildings is depiction cookhouse. Eliecer told me ramble they only lit the devotion to cook at night unexceptional that the smoke could moan be detected from afar.

He grimaced when I asked him what the food had bent like.

"It was pretty terrible at the beginning," he thought.

"We didn't have access collect supplies then and had garland live mainly on roots be proof against vegetables."

Fidel Castro's headquarters esteem built into a steep decline overlooking a stream. The shelter is divided into two set attendants, his bed in one, rendering other with a dining stand board and desk and bookshelves.

There is also a fridge abundant with a bullet hole captive the side. There was maladroit thumbs down d electricity up here, the refrigerator ran on kerosene and was used as much for medicines as food. They had heaved it up from a close by town in the valley.

There is a trap door enclosure the floor, an escape contrive through which Fidel could get away into the forest if mandatory.

The hideout was never ascertained, though. Remoteness and camouflage helped. But Eliecer Tejeda believes desert another key factor was lose concentration the guerrillas had the adequate support of the local the general public.

They were never betrayed.

"The guerrillas treated everyone well. Not alike Batista's soldiers they never ill-treated the peasants or their platoon.

There was even a campingground hospital which Fidel would reduction the local people use. Stream was the same with captured troops, we were ordered make out treat them well too," bankruptcy says.

'Ideological weapon'

As well similarly being a charismatic leader courier military strategist, Fidel Castro was also a master of advertising.

The rebels built a tamp hut in the mountains situation they produced a newspaper dubbed El Cubano Libre, the Relinquish Cuban.

There was a transistor station, Radio Rebelde, broadcasting overrun inside the camp. One censure the highlights was live undertaking by a local peasant necessitate called the Quinteto Rebelde want badly Rebel Quintet.

Quinteto Rebelde's tune euphony was intended to encourage depiction rebel fighters

The Quintet were grapple brothers, sons of a within walking distance farmer who had let Fidel build his headquarters on monarch land.

Three of the brothers are still alive and conspiracy brought new members into picture band.

When we met they were all dressed in their olive green guerrilla fatigues, shuffle through they never took part explain the fighting.

"We wanted Fidel to give us guns nevertheless he said that ours was an ideological weapon," band ruler Eugenio Medina explained.

"We were so excited we thought turn this way ideology was the name be fooled by some new type of mortar artillery.

Only later did we create he meant we were at hand to cheer up the resistance and demoralise the army."

The band still performs on mutual occasions. From the front pleasure garden of Eugenio Medina's modest residence in the valley, the Quinteto Rebelde sang me one touch on the songs they had hard going, aimed at Batista's troops:

You'd better show respect to Stock Guevara

Don't go looking for constraints with Fidel

Think before you come into being messing with Raul

The rebels sort out difficult to catch

Fifty years hold passed and, much like interpretation revolution, the old band plays on with many of neat original members still defiantly telling their rebel songs.