Looking Back On The Bay of Pigs, 50 Years Later

02:19

April 15, 2011

Police watch a truck carrying an April 1961 photograph of Cuba's leader Fidel Castro jumping from a tank, left, near the Bay Of Pigs, during rehearsals for an upcoming parade commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs in Havana, Cuba. (AP)

50 years ago, on April 15th, 1961, American planes disguised with Cuban markings launched a series of attacks on airfields across the island.

It marked the start of the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion. The attempt, the following night, by CIA trained Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro and his left-leaning revolution proved a humiliating defeat. It pushed Cuba firmly into the arms of the Soviet Union and has soured U.S.-Cuban relations to this day. The BBC's correspondent in Havana, Michael Voss, reports.

This segment aired on April 15, 2011.