Bombing of Guernica

E13901

The Bombing of Guernica was a devastating 1937 aerial attack by Nazi German and Italian fascist forces on the Basque town of Guernica, widely remembered as one of the first large-scale bombings of civilians and immortalized by Pablo Picasso’s painting "Guernica."

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
bombing of Guernica 9
Bombing of Guernica canonical 5
bombing of Gernika 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf aerial bombing
event in the Spanish Civil War
war crime
aftermath large parts of Guernica destroyed or burned
survivors displaced from the town
aircraftUsedByCondorLegion Heinkel He 111 bombers
linked to: Heinkel He 111

Junkers Ju 52 bombers
Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters
aircraftUsedByItalianForces Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers
associatedWork painting "Guernica"
linked to: Guernica
belligerent Condor Legion
Fascist Italy
Italian Aviazione Legionaria
Nazi Germany
cause support for Francisco Franco's Nationalist offensive
civilianCasualtiesEstimate hundreds of civilians killed
commander Wolfram von Richthofen
commemoratedBy Pablo Picasso's "Guernica"
linked to: Guernica
conflict Spanish Civil War
countryAtTime Spain
date 26 April 1937
historicalSignificance early example of terror bombing of civilians
precursor to World War II strategic bombing campaigns
inspired global anti-war sentiment
internationalReaction widespread condemnation abroad
legacy symbol of civilian suffering in modern warfare
legalCharacterization often described as a war crime
location Basque Country
Guernica
mediaCoverage reported by journalist George Steer
memorials Guernica peace memorials in the Basque Country
method aerial bombardment
high-explosive bombs
incendiary bombs
militaryObjective destroy bridge and roads near Guernica
disrupt Basque and Republican communications
notableAs one of the first large-scale aerial bombings of civilians
symbol of the horrors of war
orderedBy Nationalist command in the Spanish Civil War
propagandaUse used by Republicans to highlight Nationalist brutality
result high civilian casualties
widespread destruction of the town of Guernica
supportedSide Spanish Nationalists
tactic carpet bombing
machine-gunning of civilians from aircraft
targetedPopulation Basque civilians
targetedSide Spanish Republicans
year 1937

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (17)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Spanish Civil War notableBattle Bombing of Guernica
Pablo Picasso depictsInGuernica bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Condor Legion notableFor bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Condor Legion engagedIn bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Guernica historicallyKnownFor bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Peace Museum of Gernika hasSubject bombing of Gernika
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Peace Museum of Gernika focusesOnEvent bombing of Gernika
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Nationalist faction (Spain) notableEvent Bombing of Guernica
reported by journalist George Steer refersTo Bombing of Guernica
reported by journalist George Steer hasSubject Bombing of Guernica
Aviazione Legionaria notableOperation bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Gernika-Lumo knownFor 1937 bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Gernika-Lumo historicalEvent Bombing of Guernica
Spanish Nationalist Air Force notableOperation bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
World War II bombing hasNotableEvent bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
George Steer reportedOn bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica
Aviación Nacional notableOperation bombing of Guernica
linked to: Bombing of Guernica