Guernica burning

Italian troops entering destroyed Guernica

On April 26, 1937, the city of Guernica was bombed by airplanes, during the Spanish Civil War by the German squadron known as the Condor Legion against the Basque city of Guernica. The only purpose of this attack was to complete destruction of Guernica’s civilians (Bombing of Guernica).

When Guernica was attacked, its population was about 5,000 people. The town was 15 kilometer behind the Republican lines, which is why Guernica was greatly influenced by the Civil War that went on in Spain. On the day of attack, many refuges were staying in the town. At the same time, it was also Guernica’s market day and many people came from surrounding areas. But Guernica could not protect itself with any air defenses because of the recent lose to the Republican air forces (Ibid).

The attacks on Guernica were made by German and Italian forces, which was the first joint military operation between the Nazi Germany and the Fascist Italy (Ibid).

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Sources:

Bombing of Guernica. Jun., 2005. 11 Jul. 2005. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Guernica>

Books burned after the advance of Francisco's troops

Guernica after bombing