Magellanes. Our reconnaissance sighting fascist cruisers off the island of Mallorca, we decided to employ
diversion. Our target was the harbour of the island of Ibiza. The fleet headed for the island to bombard it.
But when darkness set in it was to swing around to the rendezvous point with a "Y".
When the fleet closed in with the island it sighted the German pocket battleship Deutschland in the
harbour. To avoid international complications the fleet commander decided not to open fire. The main
task of the operation, namely to draw away the enemy's attention, had been accomplished.
But the fliers who took off some time later were ignorant of the presence of the German pocket battleship
in the harbour and of the fleet commander's decision. To make matters worse, as soon as the Republican
planes were sighted over the island, the Deutschland opened fire at them. The pilots were sure that this
was a rebel ship and dropped their load of bombs on her. The bombs hit the after part of the pocket
battleship. The number of casualties aboard the Deutschland reached eighty.
As the Republican fleet was steaming to the rendezvous point with the "Y" all the Western radiostations
announced the sensational news of an "attack" of Spanish aircraft on the German pocket battleship.
The Deutschland asked the British harbour authorities at Gibraltar to provide repair facilities and ordered
coffins for those that were killed so that their bodies could be sent to Germany. The German ship then
sailed to Gibraltar.
Other German ships were plotting something. They were exchanging messages the whole of the following
day. When darkness set in the Republican fleet was returning home with the "Ys" it had met. It then
encountered a formation of German ships comprising the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer and several
destroyers. The Germans immediately hoisted their national flags and illuminated them with searchlights.
But nobody intended to attack them. So both fleets parted.
The Nazis avenged themselves on the civilian population. On the following morning German ships
approached Almeria and subjected it to brutal bombardment. Dozens of houses were destroyed. Many
human lives were lost. Among the killed there were women and children.
By the end of 1937, the direct intervention of the Germans and Italians sharply changed the balance of
forces on the sea. It was no longer possible to use the routes in the Mediterranean. The ships with war
materiel had to use another route.
