Condor Legion, German
Legion Condor, a unit of the German air force, or Luftwaffe, detailed by Hermann Göring for special duty with General Francisco Franco’s Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). It was sent to Franco on the condition that it stay under German command. The Legion consisted of four bomber squadrons (of 12 bombers each) and four fighter squadrons and was backed by antiaircraft and antitank units. It engaged in several raids, especially on Barcelona. On April 26, 1937, it attacked the Basque city of Guernica with great devastation and loss of life.
German air force members positioning bombs on an aircraft of the Condor Legion, Spain, 1939.
Guernica: Black and White and Red All Over historytoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from historytoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Far-right Vox leader issues fascistic call to end lockdowns in Spain
On April 14, for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the 1931–39 Spanish Second Republic, far-right Vox Party leader Santiago Abascal delivered a fascistic rant in Congress, blaming socialists for the 1936–39 Spanish Civil War, which was triggered by a fascist coup.
Santiago Abascal, leader of far right party Vox, addresses supporters gathered outside the party headquarters following the general election in Madrid, Sunday, April 28, 2019. (AP Photo - Manu Fernandez)
Abascal denounced the Second Republic, a capitalist state, as a “criminal regime controlled by socialists and communists that led Spain to civil war.” He was tacitly justifying General Francisco Franco’s coup against the Second Republic, which plunged Spain into civil war and installed a 40-year dictatorship. This whitewashes the coup and the mass murder carried out by the Francoites, by implying it was a legitimate response to a threat
Late Spanish dictator’s family can keep valuable artifacts sought by state, court rules
A Spanish court has ruled that the family of the late dictator General Francisco Franco is entitled to keep a treasure trove of artifacts claimed by the state.
In a statement published Tuesday, the provincial court of A Coruña, northwest Spain, said Franco’s family were entitled to keep precious tables, chairs, crockery, artworks and carpets housed at the Pazo de Meirás, a spectacular manor house once used by the fascist dictator as a summer home.
Valuable items in the house include two statues by medieval sculptor Master Mateo.
Apr 20, 2021
Vias, France, – After fleeing to France to escape the Spanish Civil War, Amalia Romero’s family eventually managed to build a home on the south coast directly looking out over the Mediterranean.
But today, the sea is gradually gnawing away at their refuge on a coastline that has grown vulnerable to the ravages of climate change.
“It’s a harsh fate after we’ve devoted all our efforts, all our life, to having a roof over our family’s head,” Romero said.
In 1939, she was among the exodus, or Retirada, of nearly half a million Spaniards who fled dictator General Francisco Franco’s forces and crossed the border into France, where many ended up initially in internment camps.