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Никита
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Mike
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Дата
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22.03.2005 15:38:29
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Рубрики
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WWII; ВВС;
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Оно было ЗА городом. С мостом тоже все более чем туманно и похоже на попытки
вывернуться из положения планируя цели задним числом.
The immediate strategic justification for the raid was that Guernika had become a potential ‘bottle-neck’, but there are several conflicting interpretations of this. One view is that if the single major bridge could be destroyed before the retreating Republican forces were able to cross it they would be trapped and would be unable to get any further aid from the Republican stronghold of Bilbo. Equally, however, if the attack was not pressed quickly enough the retreating Republicans might cross the bridge and its destruction then would only serve as an obstacle to the pursuing Nationalist forces. Confusing these calculations was the fact that the river is fordable at other points i.e. the bridge was not critical and, in fact, the air raid was carried out with little regard to the position of the Nationalist ground forces. The bridge survived the raid, and eye-witness accounts make it very clear that the town itself was consistently the target for each wave of bombers, and for the later strafing attacks by fighters.
Whatever the merits of these arguments, Guernika was a Republican stronghold, as well as being the capital of the Basque region. A large monastery had been taken over as battalion headquarters, and shortly before the raid other religious buildings were commandeered by the army as fortified defence points (most had walls in excess of a metre thick - sufficient to survive all but a direct hit). If these defence points had been manned by a determined force they could have put up stiff resistance to any attack, and buying time in this way was critical for the Republican cause. Negotiations for a peace deal with the Nationalists were being attempted in Rome, under the auspices of the Pope, and regardless of the outcome of the fighting any time created would have allowed the demoralised Republican army to regroup. Apart from field hospitals being housed in the town, and machine gun emplacements being set up in the surrounding fields, there were also two large armament factories just outside the town. At the time of the raid essential machinery from one factory had already been shipped to Bilbo, and the other was scheduled for re-location within two days. Finally, there is a further consideration that would not have escaped the notice of any attacker. The town’s population was swollen by the many refugees heading away from the front-line in an attempt to reach Bilbo. Their capacity to impede transport arrangements and hinder reinforcement efforts was considerable. Guernika was, all things considered, a ‘legitimate’ target.
С уважением,
Никита