Guernica remembered, April 26, 1937

The above painting by Pablo Picasso depicts the carpet-bombing of the Basque town of Guernica, Spain on April 26, 1937 by the Condor Legion. It was the first time civilians had been targeted from the air. The German Luftwaffe, allies of the Nationalists, engaged in an attack on the town as part of an attempt to destroy morale and develop methods of strategic bombing. It resulted in the deaths of 400 people. The Nazi aircraft bombed the town, of no military value, with high explosive and incendiary bombs that reduced the place to rubble. The initial plan called for the bombing of a bridge and a railway station but the violence from the sky got out of hand quickly. The Nazis claimed the smoke forced them to drop their bombs blindly. Even the bloodthirsty Franco was appalled by the murders. Later both the Nazis and the Nationalists denied responsibility blaming the incident on retreating Loyalist troops.