[The Decay of Meaning]

How many men were active members in the 26-July movement (the rebel army)?

[useless]

On the Granma there were 80. Then down to 27 at the landing and in the Sierre up to 500. At least there were not more than 2 500 to 3 000 at the end.

The movimiento 27-6 (short M-27-6) was of course not the only opposition group. There were the students with some tenthousend, liberal and other groups. In the past there had been many uprisings (see José Martí (writer of the song: Guicharia Guantanamera")). There was a great opposition among the farmers and the plantation workers and a considerable amount among the former afrp-caribean slaves.
The communist party didn't take place at any time. At least someone from Moscow perhaps told them, that there is a revolution going on and they should behave more communist. So they rushed to the Sierra.

The revolution to overthtrow Batista was not intended to construct a communist state or to lean on the East. In truth Castro was supported by groups from US and there had been some reporters from the Time magazine.
Then Kennedy achieved power and the US went into Vietnam, teased Castro, tried the Bay of pig invasion and sent the Orion nuclear rockets to Turkey.

[Spin]

Then Kennedy achieved power and the US went into Vietnam, teased Castro, tried the Bay of pig invasion and sent the Orion nuclear rockets to Turkey.

US was already in Vietnam and the Bay of Pigs was planned under Eisenhower.

[Red_Army]

I'm also pretty sure that only 12 survived the Granma landing.

[redstarline]

there were over 20 who survived the amubush after the Granma landing, but a bit of poetic liscence made it 12 men.

And of course Tueky had US missiles before Kennedy, and the Bay of Pigs invasion was planned before Kennedy.

As for the original question if you are refering to the original attack on the barracks, I would say there was about 200 activists.

[Spin]

And of course Tueky had US missiles before Kennedy, and the Bay of Pigs invasion was planned before Kennedy.

Well useless seemed to suggest otherwise.

[redstarline]

I dont know if you had a point but the Eisenhower administration in late 1957 offered its NATO allies intermediate range ballistic missiles. It did this because of the Soviet successes in space amongst other things. The missiles were not readily taken by all the countries they were offered too, understandably. But turkey did take the missiles from the USA. These were the Jupiters.

And I think most people know that it was Eisenhower's administration who planned the attack on Cuba and trained the exiles to do so.

[The Decay of Meaning]

there were over 20 who survived the amubush after the Granma landing, but a bit of poetic liscence made it 12 men.

Who created the myth of 12 men?

[redstarline]

I dont think any one person created it. Cuba was a Catholic country, 12 men following a bearded leader sounds good. there was also confusion about how many had been caught, injured, killed, and escaped. they were split up into small groups after tha landing, so for a while they may have believed there were only 12 who made it out.

of course they didnt have beards when they landed!

[Red_Army]

Damn, it said there were 12 survivors in a biography of Che I read. The author must have heard the myth. Are there any books you could recommend on the Cuban revolution? It is a very intriguing event and I have only read a few biographies on it.

[redstarline]

Inside the Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground ~ Julia E. Sweig

Is a good alternative to the usual books about the guerrillas in the mountains.

Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War, 1956-58
~Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Is quite funny and exciting.

From Escambray to the Congo: In the Whirlwind of the Cuban Revolution / Interview with Victor Dreke
~Dreke

Is another biography.

ther eis a good, short, basic book about the revolution, I cant find it online, but i have it at work and will look for it tomorrow.

One of the genral books about the history of Cuba would be good to put the revolution in context. It is funny to see how many books say Castro and the revolution will be gone by 1965, 1970, 1979, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2005 etc etc etc