BOMBS DESTROY TOWN

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 April 1937, Page 7

BOMBS DESTROY TOWN

SPANISH REBEL RAIDS

HUGE DEATH ROLL

[BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN. —COPYBIGHT.]

LONDON," May. ?T.

Guernica, the ancient Basque capitai, was reduced to blazing ruins, andhundreds were killed by an air-raid lasting three and. a-half hours, which was carried out by rebel fighting aeroplanes and bombers, the number of which was not counted.

Hand-grenades dropped from the first aeroplanes drove' the panicstricken populace to bomb . shelters, and to the fields where machine-gun attacks were made by the swooping, fighters. The next wave of bombers' dropped high explosive bombs. It’Ms estimated that 1000 bombs struck the 1 town. In the next phase of the attack incendiary bombs were ‘ dropped. The casualties cannot yet be ascertained. The dead inchfdei 50 persons who were incinerated in one bombshelter.

The barracks, which was the only 1 military objective, and also the Basque Parliament, miraculously escaped, but the remainder of the town is ablaze, including historic churches. Forlorn groups of people are Searching the wrecked streets for traces df their relatives. -

Salvage crews are almost helpless because of the wholesale destruction. Meanwhile, the homeless are evacuating the town. Roads are congested with streams of peasants, carrying their possessions in bundles on. their backs, or piled on ox-carts. Rescue work is most dangerous becaulse of the continual falls of masonry.

A rebel bomb killed an elderly parr ish priest, named Aronategui, at the assault on Guernica. The priest was rescuing terrified children from a burning house. , PREVIOUS HORRORS SURPASSED (Reed. April’2B, 2.45 p.m.) . LONDON, April 27. The Daily Telegraph’s. Bilbao correspondent says, after witnessing the destruction of Durango, Eibar, Guernica, Bolivar, Arbacequi and Guerricaiz that all previous horrors attendant on. the capture of Irun and Malaga, and the siege of Madrid, were surpassed in Franco’s desperate* bid- for Bilbao, most of whose defenders swear they will die fighting before surrender. Mola’s troops, ...some of whose formations lost eighty per cent, of their number, are- blasting their way forward, with three bombs, for each discharge, one incendiary and two explosive. ■ ■ - Z

The plan for starving out Bilbao is now defeated, owing to supply ships.

Air Minister Prieto at Bib. bao with thirty-two airplanes/ with which the Basques hope to regain mastery in the air. r 'v,, 5 “The Times’s” Bilbao~Mdtfi;es£ondCnt says: Guernica exemplif/es/tin’-.opera-; tion unparalleled in history. It was not a military objective/ The object was vengefully to destroy/ the cradle of the Basque race, "cliSosing market’ day, when crowds filled the town. The attack was opened by a German bomber, then parties opiplanes select? ed'area aftei* area,... and / bombs and grenades, over file’/town. Then fighting planes machine-gunned those fleeing panic stricken' from dugouts, which were penetrated 'by bomb holes. German airmen; in the apparent lust for • slaughter, massacred a large herd of sheep going to market. The raiders destroyed, three.,hospitals, one of which was a convent, killing the majority of the wounded occupants, at least 100.,

MADRID’S WORST BOMBARDMENT

(Received April 28, 11 a.m.) / MADRID, April 27.

A bombardment, the worst Madrid has yet suffered, continued throughout the night. Several streets were turned into shambles. The horror was intensified by the screams of women and children.

The rebel cruisers Canarias and Baleares bombarded Valencia.' Shore batteries replied and Government planes are attacking.