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La Voz de Madrid

The Bombing of Guernica: A Turning Point in Madrid's Perception of War

The capital, already accustomed to air raids, interpreted the destruction of the Basque city as a warning about the possibility of total annihilation.

Generic image of a dark urban street with blurred emergency lights, evoking a wartime atmosphere.
IA

Generic image of a dark urban street with blurred emergency lights, evoking a wartime atmosphere.

The bombing of Guernica in April 1937, though geographically distant, deeply resonated in Madrid, a city already battered by air raids, transforming the population's understanding of war's brutality and scope.

On April 26, 1937, Madrid lived under the constant threat of bombings, a routine that had transformed the daily lives of its inhabitants. Since late 1936, the capital had been the target of air attacks, leading to the organization of shelters in basements, metro stations, and public buildings. Sirens, nightly blackouts, and long queues for food were part of a landscape accepted with a mix of resignation and resistance.
In this context of uncertainty and misinformation, where rumors often preceded official news, a comment began to circulate about a serious incident in the north. There was talk of an intense bombing of a locality that, initially, many could not precisely identify. However, as the hours passed, the name of Guernica began to be mentioned more clearly, accompanied by the unsettling feeling that this attack was different.
The information solidified in the following days: between four-thirty in the afternoon and seven-thirty on April 26, Guernica was bombed in several phases by the German air force of the Condor Legion, with Italian support. This was not an isolated attack, but a planned operation combining explosive bombs, strafing of fleeing civilians, and incendiary bombs, resulting in the destruction of approximately 70% of the city and an estimated 150 to 300 fatalities.
In Madrid, this data was not perceived as distant news, but was interpreted through the capital's own experience. Although Madrid had already suffered bombings, what happened in Guernica introduced a new dimension: the possibility that the destruction of a city could be an objective in itself, rather than just a secondary consequence of war. This shift in perception, reinforced by international reports, such as those by journalist George Steer in The Times, led to the inevitable question: could the same happen in Madrid?
Life in Madrid continued, but the consciousness with which that life was lived was no longer the same. Guernica was not just a localized tragedy in the north; it was the moment when cities like Madrid understood that the war had escalated, revealing the possibility of total and systematic destruction that could wipe an entire city off the map.

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