Osvaldo Ramírez García

Osvaldo Ramírez García (6 July 1921 – 16 April 1962) was a Cuban revolutionary and anti-communist rebel. He was a member of the Revolutionary Directorate of 13 March Movement, involved in the overthrow of the Batista regime, and later was involved in the armed resistance to Fidel Castro. He was a member of the National Revolutionary Police Force and after the break with Castro, he was commander of an anti-communist rebel formation, one of the leaders of the Escambray Rebellion. He was killed during the rebellion by government forces.

Cuban Revolution He was born into a peasant family from the Villa Clara Province. Since his youth he worked as a truck driver. He was dedicated to transporting sugar cane and wood dumped in the Escambray Mountains. Later he was able to rent land. He was married and had two sons and two daughters. Since 1952, Osvaldo Ramírez was opposed to Fulgencio Batista. He entered the Revolutionary Directory on 13 March. Ramírez transported weapons in his truck and participated in armed attacks against government targets. During the fighting with Batista's troops in 1958, he was one of the commanders of the Second National Front of Escambray. He served under the command of Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo and William Alexander Morgan.

After the victory of the Cuban Revolution, Ramírez joined the new National Revolutionary Police of Cuba. He held the officer rank of captain. He was appointed commander of the Castillo del Príncipe prison in Havana.

Osvaldo Ramírez was a staunch anti-communist. By 1959, he came into conflict with the new Cuban authorities. He condemned the expropriation of agricultural land and the brutality of political repression. As a government official, he attempted to resist expropriations and redistribution of land in the town of Caracousse near Trinidad. He harshly criticized Raúl Castro and Che Guevara for the brutality of order in the Castillo del Príncipe.

Anti-communist resistance

Commander of the eighth column

In October 1959, Osvaldo Ramírez split from Fidel Castro's regime and disappeared in the Escambray Mountains. He formed an armed detachment and led a rebellion against the government. Initially, the detachment consisted of only 18 rebels, then it increased to several dozen, and then to 200 or 300. Ramírez's formation consisted mainly of peasant landowners and agricultural workers oriented towards them, dissatisfied with Castro's agrarian policy, the expropriations and collectivization, the dictatorial policies of the new administration, and state intervention in the traditional peasant way of life.

In the early 1960s, Osvaldo Ramírez was considered one of the main guerrilla commanders, along with Sinecio Walsh, Evelio Duque, Plinio Prieto and Edel Montiel. Following the execution of Walsh and Prieto in October 1960, Evelio Duque assumed overall command of the seven rebel columns. According to other commanders, Osvaldo Ramírez led the 8th Column, a rebel formation that enjoyed extensive operational and combat autonomy.

Ramírez's rebels attacked government officials, communist activists, leaders of agricultural cooperatives, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, and the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations. The rebels clashed with government troops, police and militias. The battle near the town of San Ambrosio on January 12, 1961, became widely known: Ramírez's militants laid an ambush, machine-gunned a militia patrol (of 18 militiamen, only one survived) and seized its weapons. Castro declined the offer.

At the same time, the rebels showed great cruelty in retaliating against communist activists. The most famous is the murder of Professor Conrado Benítez. This event was actively used in the anti-insurgency propaganda of the authorities. approved Osvaldo Ramírez as the head of the entire rebel movement of the Eight Columns of Escambray.

On April 16, 1962, the mountain base of Los Aramos del Velázquez was attacked by troops and militias. A tenacious battle ensued. At first, Osvaldo Ramírez again managed to break the encirclement and escape. However, several hours later he was killed in a shootout with a communist militia. San Gil was assassinated on 28 February 1963.

Legacy The attitude towards Osvaldo Ramírez varies across the Cuban community. Cuban authorities characterize him as a "brutal counterrevolutionary bandit and CIA agent," speaking of his bad character and addiction to alcohol. Cuban dissidents consider Ramírez a hero of the liberation struggle, a "humble worker," a brave fighter against two dictatorships and leader of an "anti-totalitarian crusade." Representatives of the Cuban opposition, especially in Villa Clara Province, commemorated the date of Osvaldo Ramírez's death.

Osvaldo Ramírez's wife was subjected to surveillance, harassment and insults in Cuba for a long time. Later, the family had the opportunity to emigrate. Ramírez's descendants resides in Miami. Osvaldo Ramírez Jr. actively promotes his father's legacy. Osvaldo Ramírez's stylistic signature was wearing a Stetson cowboy hat. His favorite weapon was the M1 carbine or Thompson submachine Gun.