Guernica Bombed: The Horror of Modern Warfare
German Condor Legion bombers, supported by Italian aircraft, attacked the Basque market town of Guernica on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The raid lasted three hours, using a combination of high-explosive and incendiary bombs that destroyed 70% of the town. Casualty estimates range from 150 to 1,600, with the most widely accepted figure around 300. The attack was one of the first deliberate aerial bombardments of a civilian population center. Pablo Picasso, commissioned to create a mural for the Spanish Republic's pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exposition, painted Guernica in response. The 11-by-25-foot monochrome canvas became the most powerful anti-war painting of the 20th century. It now hangs in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.
April 26, 1937
89 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on April 26
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