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In 1953, Fidel Castro attacked military barracks in the east of Cuba in a bid to revolutionise the country. He failed, but it marked the beginning of his career as a guerrilla fighter.

Michael Voss spoke to one of his comrades, Agustin Diaz Cartaya, in 2010.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: Fidel Castro (second from right) with comrades during the preparation of the 1953 attack. Credit: FILES-PRENSA LATINA/AFP via Getty Images)