B-15A in the Cuban revolution

[Peter Graham]

I was in a bookshop yesterday flicking through a book on Fidel Castro when I came across this interesting photo. Like a good spy I whipped out my camera phone and photographed it. Sorry about the quality and the flash glare. It shows Fidel Castro in 1959. Check out the guy with the Thompson. He's wearing a B-15A. The Thompson is also interesting as it's an early model with the pistol type foregrip.

 

[tamoko]

And US NAVY on other side ?
looks like "ODA SEALs operator" bodyguards

 

[Anonymous]

Very interesting photo. Any caption?

Yanqui Fidelistas:

http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/yanquifidelistas.html

 

[Atticus]

Damn. Where's the nearest revolution? I wanna sign up!! I want to grow my hair out long (again), an' wear a neat old fedora, an' sport a bitchin' vintage flight jacket, an' tote a mean-assed machine gun, an' hang out with some wild-eyed, crazy MFs (again).

I want CHANGE!!!

Che

 

[Curahee]

...Hasta Siempre Comandante...con tu querida prensencia

 

[Atticus]

...Hasta Siempre Comandante...con tu querida prensencia

Gracias, "Carloa"!

 

[Peter Graham]

Very interesting photo. Any caption?

Dunno, I'll have to go back to the bookshop. You're right Geoff, that guy has it all, the hat, the hair, the beard, the jacket, the Tommy gun. Bet he's wearing a pair of cool paratroopers boots too !

 

[Curahee]

Could certainly be the case, that guy is General Camilo Cienfuegos and the and together with the other "barbudos"
(Che, Fidel, Raúl, etc) that were on the yacht the "Granma" bought their gear/supplies via dumpstores in Florida even
the yacht they bought from a senior in Miami FL. So it's possible he wears paratrooper boots from WW-2.
Here is a picture I took in the "Museum de Revolucion" in Havana of him and Guevara (dummies)while he is wearing some
of his ohter gear during the fighting in the jungle of the Sierra Maestra

And BTW I did the hike up to the commando post of Fidel in the Sierra Maestra, pure torture!

 

[tamoko]

El comandante Camilo Cienfuegos

 

[Swing]

I don't know how the heck that guy is wearing that thing! If it's over 40 degrees, it's getting too warm for my ELC B-15. I can't imagine wearing that thing in hot humid Cuba.

~Swing

 

[Curahee]

Me neither, I was there last summer and phew...man just killing, then inmagine the jungles of the Sierra Maestra :shock:
thats even a worse place to be. After a 1 hour drive up this very scary road

you start from here

up and down this sort of path

and end up at the cabin of Fidel ( just a bed, table, chair and and a frigde with a bullethole)

It's 3 hours up and 2 hours down and the quide does 3 tours per day :shock: , his English is perfect being an English teacher

 

[Peter Graham]

Curahee. It's one of my ambitions to get to Cuba, after reading a book on the revolution. I will be in touch sometime soon for some advice. Great photos guys. Now that my idea of what a General should look like !

 

[Curahee]

It's a little bit like Ireland, very green, nice folk, beer sucks though (Bucanero is OK) and ofcourse lots and Mojitos !
Catch it while you can it's changing fast with Raúl, and you should definitely check out the Sierra Maestra. Be sure to bring lots of water and good walking shoes.
'Abana and especially Havana Vieja is very nice, avoid the tourist Bars like La Bodagita. As famous as they are they are not
the places were the Cubans come, one drink there is worth a months wage. Visit the Malacon (boulevard) at night after a nice dinner at a "paladar" when al the Cubans have a good time there

 

[Peter Graham]

I imagine you have seen 'The buena vista social club'. Another reason I want to visit Cuba.

 

[Curahee]

Well not exactly, but there are many groups like them playing the
classics (and pluggin their CD's untill you want to hit one of them)
It's a shame that that kind of music nowadays is only played for the tourists. Cubans listen to modern Latino music, wich I hate.

I have also been to Jamaica and the kind of raggea Bob Marley played is also almost gone, same for the Louis Armstrong Jazz you
expect to find in New Orleans, were hip-hop is king. Anyway you will
find plenty of little bands in the "Casa de la Trova" to enjoy with in
one hand a class of Havana Club and the other a Cohiba cigar

If you ask me you can skip Santiago de Cuba and Santa Clara all
together but do check out the Bay of Bigs, and watch the film of
the invasion very interesting from the standpoint of the Cubans.
I counted the word "Imperialismo" at least 30 times.....

 

[havocpaul]

If only Joe Strummer had seen those pics back in the Clash days...! I've been growing my (goatie) beard long recently and have been called 'bandit', now who's got a size 42 B-15A?

 

[Peter Graham]

Yes, I think Joe would have appreciated those photos. I think I feel a beard coming on ! Pity I sold my B-15A a few months back.

 

[yankee air pirate]

El comandante Camilo Cienfuegos

And if you look at the guy on the right standing on the platform he appears to be wearing an M1941 field jacket and Castro also apprears to be driving in a dolled up jeep.