Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier blamed Germany for an air raid on the Basque town of Guernica in 1937. According to a manuscript made available to the AFP news agency, Steinmeier spoke of crimes for which Germany was responsible. German Air Force Association Condor Legion has the city in Spanish Civil War turned into a “rubble landscape”.
Steinmeier recalled that hundreds of defenseless children, women and men died in the attack. Germany and the German people must not forget what happened in Guernica: “This crime was committed by Germans. Guernica is a reminder – a reminder to defend peace, freedom and the preservation of human rights. We want to do justice to that,” Steinmeier continued, according to the text.
That Condor Legion had destroyed Guernica on April 26, 1937 in the name of Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler had sent fighter planes and bombers to Spain to support right-wing coup general and later dictator Francisco Franco. The attack resulted in hundreds of deaths and sparked international outrage. Pablo Picasso kept horror in his work Guernica which Steinmeier visited on Wednesday at the Reina Sofía Museum.
That Condor Legion officially consisting of Wehrmacht “volunteers” who traveled secretly to Spain. By the fall of 1936 – a few months after the start of the Civil War – the unit had more than 100 aircraft and 5,000 troops. In total, some 20,000 German troops were deployed on a rotational basis during the nearly three-year civil war.
For Hitler, this was on offer Condor Legion In addition to supporting the Spanish fascists, it was an opportunity to test new weapons technology and attack tactics for the air force. The Spanish Civil War became a dress rehearsal for the Second World War.
King Felipe VI’s visit is planned
On Friday, Steinmeier will become the first German Federal President to visit Guernica. king of Spain Felipe VI will accompany him.
So far, only former Federal President Roman Herzog has acknowledged the “involvement of the guilty German pilot” on the 60th anniversary of the 1997 bombing and called on the city’s residents for reconciliation.
