This Day in Military History

April 17, 1961: Operation Zapata—better known as the Bay of Pigs—began. Planning for the attempted ouster of Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, began during the Eisenhower administration, but the final go-ahead was given by President John F. Kennedy. The plan was to invade Cuba with Cubans who had fled to the United States after Castro came to power. It failed: the U.S.-trained Cuban invasion force of around 1,500 (Brigade 2506) was overwhelmed by a much larger pro-communist force (more than 200,000). Out of ammunition and options, Brigade 2506 surrendered on April 20. The White House and Central Intelligence Agency would later blame each other for the debacle.

Brandus, Paul. This Day in U.S. Military History (pp. 102-103). Bernan Press. Kindle Edition.