Bombing of Guernica

The bombing of Guernica was a major aerial attack during the Spanish Civil War. It took place on April 26, 1937, in the Basque town of Guernica. This town is located in the province of Biscay, about 30 kilometers east of Bilbao. For the Basque people, Guernica held immense cultural and political importance. It was known as the home of Basque liberties. A famous oak tree, the Gernikako Arbola, grew there as a symbol of traditional freedoms.

At this time, Spain was divided by a civil war. Two main sides were fighting for control of the country. One side was the Republican government. The other side was the Nationalist faction led by General Francisco Franco. The Nationalists were attempting to win control of northern Spain. To do this, they needed to capture the strategic city of Bilbao. Guernica sat on the path toward Bilbao and served as a communications center for Republican forces.

The attack was carried out under the code name Operation Rügen. The Nationalist command ordered the raid to support their ground troops. They used two main foreign air forces to execute the mission. These were the Nazi German Luftwaffe's Condor Legion and the Fascist Italian Aviazione Legionaria. The mission was led by the German commander Wolfram von Richthofen. The primary military objective was to destroy the roads and bridges in the Renteria suburb. This was intended to trap Republican forces and prevent them from retreating or moving equipment.

The bombing occurred in several waves throughout the afternoon. The first wave arrived around 16:30. It included Italian SM.79 planes and a German Dornier Do 17. These planes used various types of weapons. They carried medium high-explosive bombs and light explosive bombs. They also used incendiary bombs, which are designed to start fires. While some orders specified hitting the bridge and roads, the planes also struck the town itself. The attack continued through several more waves of German twin-engined planes.

Many people were in the town when the planes arrived. It was a Monday, which was traditionally a market day in Guernica. On market days, local farmers traveled to the main square to sell their crops. Although the Basque government had recently ordered a halt to large meetings to avoid congestion, historians generally agree it was a market day. The town's population was approximately 7,000 people at the time. The raid caused massive destruction to buildings and infrastructure throughout the area.

The exact number of people killed during the bombing is still a subject of historical debate. Different sources provide very different figures. The Basque government reported 1,654 deaths at the time. However, local historians identified only 126 victims, a number they later revised to 153. A British source used by the USAF Air War College claims 400 civilians died. Soviet archives claim 800 deaths occurred by May 1, 1937. These numbers may not include people who died later from injuries or those buried in the rubble.

This event gained massive global attention because it involved the bombing of a civilian population. Some historians view the attack as a war crime, while others argue it was a legitimate military target under 1937 international laws. The tragedy inspired many artists to react to the violence. The most famous response was the painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso, which was commissioned by the Spanish Republic. Other artists created woodcuts, poems, and musical compositions to document the event. The bombing remains a significant moment in the history of aerial warfare and modern art.