Xabier Irujo Livres

The book delves into the devastating aerial assault on Gernika by German and Italian forces in 1937, which resulted in significant loss of life and destruction. Xabier Irujo presents a thorough analysis of the political and military context surrounding the attack, drawing from extensive archival research and interviews with survivors. This comprehensive study not only highlights the immediate effects of the bombing but also explores its broader international ramifications, making it a critical resource for understanding this historical event.

On 26 April 1937, a weekly market day, nearly sixty bombers and fighters attacked Gernika. They dropped between 31 and 46 tons of explosive and incendiary bombs on the city center. The desolation was 85 percent of the buildings in the town were totally destroyed; over 2,000 people died in an urban area of less than one square kilometer. Lying is inherent to crime. The bombing of Gernika is associated to one of the most outstanding lies of twentieth-century history. Just hours after the destruction of the Basque town, General Franco ordered to attribute authorship of the atrocity to the Reds and that remained the official truth until his death in 1975. Today no one denies that Gernika was bombed. However, the initial regime denial gave way to reductionism, namely, the attempt to minimize the scope of what took place, calling into question that it was an episode of terror bombing, questioning Francos and his generals responsibility, diminishing the magnitude of the meansemployed to destroy