219th Review Nicaragua, 1961–1990 Volume 1: The Downfall of the Somosa Dictatorship- David Francois

Nicaragua, 1961–1990 Volume 1: The Downfall of the Somosa Dictatorship

David Francois is a Frenchman in ‘militant communism’. Considering France its experience therewith in Vietnam as background, makes his curiosity for the battle in Nicaragua of the ‘red’ Sandinists against a by the Occident helped dictator, understandable.
My interest arouse during a visit to this country short after the Contra period. Seeing with my own eyes how this nation and country were suffering after such an extensive battle in which the population were forcefully engaged was an appalling experience!

This first volume tells about how the Somoza’s, with generous support of the VS could settle as family business in Nicaragua, with the Guardia Nacional as private army to safeguard– and therewith also the American anti-communist interests. Looking back with the eyes and knowledge of the present, it is hard to imagine that we have been so blind for the results of consequent denial what a through and through corrupt regime does with the minds of its people.
After the victory of Castro on colleague dictator Batista on Cuba, the genie also left the bottle in Nicaragua: the nation started to believe that supporting the Sandinists had chance to succeed, and this is how David seized his chance to defeat Goliath!

This book(let) reports in detail the course of that battle in which the Sandinist, with solid trust in the end victory, combined with Russian but especially Cuban support, managed to downfall the much stronger Somoza army. At the expense of 75.000 civilian lives though..
Lots of photos and ‘colour pictures’ of the on both sides deployed arms and for the aviation interested also a lot of details about the deploy of a variety of airplane types and helicopters.

This volume ends with the fleeing of Nicaragua by the Somoza family and confidants.
Because America couldn’t stand an on the Soviet-Union aimed regime in Middle America, the Contras were recruited out of the Somoza confidants. Their deploy for an ‘anti-guearilla’ is set out in volume 2.