Just saw 13 Days and a question came to mind:
We’ve all seen the aerial photos taken of the Soviet missile sites established in Cuba, but where exactly in Cuba were these sites? On the western end of the island, closest to the U.S.? Or perhaps in the mountains to the east (Sierra Maestras?) in an effort to conceal them?
IIRC, they were close to the coast so that the large components of the launchers and missiles could be unshipped for setup.
From what I remember of Cuban geography from my studies there, Cuba is relatively narrow so most of the island is coastal. “On the coast” could mean anywhere from Havana in the north, Santiago on the south, or Guantanamo on the east. Does anyone know which coast, or near what city? The northwest coast, which is closest to the U.S.?
The book I consulted “The Wise Men” said that the first U-2 photo showed that the missiles were stationed in a wooded area near San Cristobal in the northwest section of the island.
For them to be useful, they needed to be close enough to the U.S. so they could hit something and probably far enough away from Guanatamo Bay, so the Marines couldn’t do something about them.