The B-26 bombers flown by the Cuban exiles were disguised to look like Cuban military planes, but the ruse worked too well. It was not clear, though, if anyone was hurt.
Earlier this month the U.S. released all but one of five top secret volumes covering the CIA's official history of the failed attack on Fidel Castro's fledgling government. The move came in response to a lawsuit filed in April by the independent National Security Archive, which posted more of the documents online Monday.
Operative Grayston Lynch recalled hitting the planes from his landing craft off the Cuban coast.
The CIA-backed invasion became a pivotal moment in U.S.-Cuba relations.