Atlas of Battles

battle, major, Cold War

Battle of Santa Clara

Battle of Santa Clara was a battle fought on 28 December 1958 at Santa Clara, in what is now Cuba; it lasted 4 days. It was part of the Cuban Revolution. The recorded result: Rebel victory; Fall of Havana; Final defeat of Batista government; Batista flees Cuba; Dissolution of Batista government. Recorded strength: 3,900 soldiers; 10 tanks; 1 armoured train; 7 B-26 medium bombers against 340 guerrillas.

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Ernesto Guevara en Santa Clara.
Ernesto Guevara en Santa Clara.. AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought28 December 1958lasted 4 days
WhereSanta Clara, Cuba22.405N, 79.954W
OutcomeRebel victory; Fall of Havana; Final defeat of Batista government; Batista flees Cuba; Dissolution of Batista government
BelligerentsRepublic of Cubaagainst26th of July Movement; Second National Front of Escambray; Directorio Revolucionario
Casualties and losses2,900 captured; 1 armoured train destroyedandUnknown
Part ofCuban Revolution1953

Where it sits in the Cuban Revolution

Attack on the Moncada Barracks, 1953Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks Attack, 1953, 19531956 Cuartel Domingo Goicuría assault, 1956Battle of Alegría de Pío, 1956Battle of La Plata, 1957Battle of Guisa, 1958Battle of Yaguajay, 1958Battle of Santa Clara, 195819531958Battle of Santa Clara, 1958
8 placed engagements of the Cuban Revolution in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date28 December 1958
to 1 January 1959
PlaceSanta Clara, Cuba
22.405N, 79.954W
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength3,900 soldiers; 10 tanks; 1 armoured train; 7 B-26 medium bombers340 guerrillas
Casualties and losses2,900 captured; 1 armoured train destroyedUnknown
Commanders
  • Joaquín Casillas
  • Cornelio Rojas
  • Che Guevara
  • Rolando Cubela
  • Roberto Rodríguez (guerrilla)
  • Antonio Núñez Jiménez
  • William Alexander Morgan
Battle of Santa ClaraBattle of Santa ClaraBattle of CienfuegosAction of 25 April 1898First Battle of CárdenasBattle in the Bay of MatanzasBattle of CienfuegosAction of 25 April 1898Battle in the Bay of MatanzasSancti SpíritusMorónColónSagua la Grande100 km22.405N, 79.954W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Created for purpose from public domain image
Created for purpose from public domain image. No machine-readable author provided. Zleitzen~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Santa Clara
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Santa Clara today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-01-05. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 126 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 274 m, 274 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 42% built-up, 32% tree cover, 22% grassland.

built-up: 42%tree cover: 32%grassland: 22%built-up 42%tree cover 32%grassland 22%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 135 mnorth to south, 10.0 km101 to 236 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1958

Battle of Santa Clara is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 61 in present-day Cuba.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2153101, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Santa Clara, revision 1383074735, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.