Guernica
I dont think it was carpet bombing, it had a more focused objective. From what I read the Nationalists were closing in on Guernica with its bridge which was the only one within miles along the river and it was the bottleneck in the path of retreat for the Republican forces in the area. They did clobber the buildings on the approaches to a bridge they wanted to block, to dump the structures into the roads making them impassable. The terroristic effects were an unintended side effect which embarrased the Germans later. This tactic was used by Allied air forces in the Normandy campaign to the Germans to block their reinforcements to the battle area, ( part of the reason some French people dont like the US too much). Its novelty in 1937 was appalling, by 1944 noone raised an eyebrow.
Here some pictures of Guernica after the bombing
http://www.sbhac.net/Republica/Imagenes ... ernica.htm
http://www.sbhac.net/Republica/Imagenes ... ernica.htm
-
Kurt_Steiner
- Member
- Posts: 3980
- Joined: 14 Feb 2004, 14:52
- Location: Barcelona, Catalunya
what happened in Guernika that the Legion Condor bombed a civilan target in the same way that the Luftwaffe bombed Coventry. Later on, Franco's propaganda claim Guernika to be a Red crime. No one in the use of his wit would believe this nowdays. I'm sorry I cannot provide any bibliography in English, all my SCW are in Spanish.
from http://www.guerracivil1936.galeon.com/north.htm
Best regards
Remember how the nationalist and legionnaire air forces (Italian, German) bombed Madrid, Santander, Barcelona and so many Spanish cities during the war.On March 31, the Junker 52s of the Condor Legion bombed the village of Durango, between Bilbao and the front. It appears that 127 peasants died, and from that time it has had the sad distinction of being the first undefended city in Europe to be bombed. The same day, Colonel Alonso Vega advanced in to the republican defensive positions in the mountains of Maroto, Albertia and Jarindo, and the town of Ochandiano. On the 4th of April these were already in Nationalist hands, and Mola called for a pause in the offensive. The Basques fortified their new positions. The tactical use of bombers had caused great alarm, and had increased the hatred of Germany. More men were mobilized and, by April 10, the Basques could already count on 140 artillery pieces. A new Nationalist advance began in Vizcaya on April 20. By April 24, all the heights of the sector of the front aimed at by the offensive had fallen into the hands of the Colonel of the 1st Navarre Brigade, Rafael Garcma Valiqo. Meanwhile, an atmosphere of panic had persisted among the Republicans since the 26th, when Mola began a new offensive, and a rout of the Basques appeared imminent. Nevertheless, that day a new crisis began: Guernika. Guernika was a small town of the province of Vizcaya. With its 7,000 inhabitants, it had always been considered by the Basques as the homeland of Basque liberties. The "Basque Parliament of Senators" customarily met under the famous Oak of Guernika, while, in the Church of Saint Euphemia, Spanish monarchs or their representatives swore to uphold the Basque privileges. The 26th of April, 1937, Guernika was within 15 kilometers [about 9 miles translator] from the most contested point of the front. At 4:30 in the afternoon, a ringing of church bells announced a sighting of airplanes. Guernika had no anti-aircraft defenses of any kind. Waves of German planes dropped incendiary bombs with a total weight of 50,000 kilos [110,000 pounds, 55 tons translator]. Approximately 40 airplanes were involved. The center of the town was destroyed and engulfed in flames. The Basque Casa de Juntas, the Church of Saint Mary and the famous oak remained intact. Many people died, perhaps a thousand, and many more were wounded or disabled. Durango fell the 28th of April, and Guernika on the 29th, practically without resistance. The foreign journalists who were with the Nationalists were informed that, although "some bomb fragments" had been found in Guernika, the damage had been caused primarily by fires set by the Basques to incite indignation.
Much has been written since then concerning the responsibilities for this bombardment, in August a Nationalist officer admitted to the English daily, "The Sunday Times," that Guernica had been bombarded by his side. The Germans also ended by admitting that their airplanes had done the bombing, but added that, in fact, Guernica was a military target since it was a center of communications near the line of battle. It is correct to admit that there is no direct evidence that the Germans took an interest in the special importance of Guernica to the Basque people, or that the Nationalist military thought the aerial attack would be so horrible. It could be true that there was no bombardment in the Basque country comparable to that of Guernica, after that time, because this was so. The Nationalist leadership and the Germans, preoccupied with possible repercussions, mounted a campaign of dissimulation.
from http://www.guerracivil1936.galeon.com/north.htm
Best regards