Cuba: The Communists killed Sanchez, two of his sons and several men under his command

SOUTH CIRCUIT Presents
THE STORY OF COMMANDER PEDRO SANCHEZ GONZALEZ.

Pedro Sanchez Gonzalez was a leader of the Farmer's Guerrilla in the Matanzas province. The Communists killed Sanchez, two of his sons and several men under his command in that area.

Pedro Sanchez, war-name Perico, was one of the many small farmers in the area of Matanzas committed to his religion and democracy. When Communists began to govern with pre potency and attacks against religion, he rebelled against the regime.

Pedro Sanchez (Commander Perico)

Pedro had a small farm in the municipality of Jaguey Grande producing and distributing milk and dairy products.

The State Security Police or G2 detained Pedro several times in fabricated conspiracy cases that did not result in permanent arrests. In the summer of 1961 the G2 or State Security came to his house to detain him again. Pedro decided this time he had to shoot it out and try to escape. Under a rain of bullets Pedro and his two sons Pedro Junior and Raul were able to reach the mountains they knew well. Once in the mountains Pedro organized a guerrilla with logistics and a sanctuary area. His guerrilla was able to harass the government soldiers several times. In the years 1962 and 1963 Pedro moved his guerrillas to a more effective place in the plains of Matanzas and Villas Provinces. These guerrillas in the plains of Matanzas and Las Villas were known as the Guerrillas of Montes Gordo.

Raul Sanchez (Lalo)
Pedro Sanchez (Pedrito)

On April 7, 1963, Sanchez guerrilla was still attacking the Communist militias in the plain near the farm Cantabria not far from the town of Pedro Betancourt. They were able to evade several encircling movements the Communist attempted. In one of these evasions, Pedro the son of Commander Sanchez was killed in action. Three days afterwards in another defensive action the Communists killed his other son Raul with a friend Wilfredo Rodriguez Ojeda also a resident of Jaguey Grande Municipality.

Commander Pedro Sanchez was able to perforate the encirclement and headed straight to Havana. He had plans to contact some of his friend to arrange for the members of his guerrilla to abandon the country and come back with a better logistic organization.

In Havana the State Security had grown immensely and he had to move out to Guira de Melena in the south of the province. One of his contacts in that city betrayed him and denounced him to the Communists. Rapidly Castro's militiamen surrounded him and the fight began in earnest. In the heat of the combat Sanchez called his troops to follow him to cross a highway to outflank their enemy. In that moment a rain of bullet from tens of Communists that were hiding inside a cane field cut him down.

When the Communists realized they had Sanchez who had created such turmoil in three Provinces they took his dead body in a truck headed to Jaguey Grande. The Communists paraded the body of Sanchez throughout the town to terrorize his sympathizers. Then they threw his dead body in front of the house of his mother. His body was cut in pieces by the impact of more than ten bullets. The other four members of his guerrilla that were captured in this action were taken to Jaguey Grande. There, a summary court in the theater of the town tried them. They were sentenced to death in front of a shooting squad.
On May 23, 1963, the shooting squad of Jaguey Grande executed Ramiro Guerra and Ramon Morejon. In the quarry of Agramonte municipality a shooting squad latter executed Pita and Sergio Espina two of Sanchez guerrillas that survived a longer time.

Cuba - Jaguey Grande zone

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