Hitler’s Air War in Spain: The Rise of the Luftwaffe by Norman Ridley

Author:Norman Ridley [Ridley, Norman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781399084727
Google: TWuEEAAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1399084720
Publisher: Air World
Published: 2022-06-06T21:00:00+00:00

I ordered new attacks by the Ju 52s, VJ/88 and the Italians on this mountain stronghold. I was lucky in the timing, as the air formations struck simultaneously at the targets. The stronghold turned into a gruesome spectacle of flames and smoke from about sixty tonnes of bombs that fell within two minutes. With the first bombs, the Reds again began to run in thick droves into a forest situated towards their rear, where most of the bombs fell, effecting a horrible slaughter.⁸

Overall, however, there was little improvement which caused von Richthofen time and again to complain. Sperrle took up the case by complaining personally to Franco that in his opinion, there were too few ground forces allocated to the North and the slow pace of progress was giving the defenders too much time to reinforce their positions. Franco was no more receptive to German advice than he was to Italian criticism but did, after several days, thank Sperrle for his views. Little changed, however and Sperrle’s argument was not helped when reports reached Franco of German and Italian aircraft bombing their own lines. Mola was quick to capitalise and return von Richthofen’s earlier criticism with some of his own.

During the attack on Ochandiano, von Richthofen had been very impressed by the Italian bombing patterns which were much more concentrated than those of the Condor Legion. This was the result of ‘relay’ bombing attack which von Richthofen now employed against the Basque town of Durango. Despite dogged defence in the steep hills surrounding the city, the fall of Bilbao could not be forestalled and the intensified efforts of the Franco forces to encircle and capture the city led to repeated attacks upon all the area surrounding it. Durango, a town of some 10,000 inhabitants on the main road between San Sebastian and Bilbao, was bombed on 31 March and 1 and 2 April. On the first raid, four heavy bombers and nine fighters appeared in the early morning. George Steer reported that, in his estimation,

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