Guernica 26th April 1937

Today marks the bombing of Guernica in the Basque country, Northern Spain on 26th April 1937. It was carried out by the Nazi German Luftwaffe and the Italian Aviazione Legionaria at the behest of Francisco Franco’s nationalist government, under the code name Operation Rügen. Although suspected of being a communications centre for the republicans in the north, the attack was controversial in that it was essentially a civilian target with up to 1500 people killed. The bombing is famous for it’s anti-war painting by Pablo Picasso completed in June the same year which depicts the chaos and violence of the event in a variety of black, white and grey shades . The painting is located in the Museo Reina Sofia , Madrid.