You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (July 2011)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Bombing of Cabra | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Spanish Civil War | |||||||
Aerial view of the city of Cabra | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Spanish Republic | Nationalist Spain | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
3 SB-2 bombers | |||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
None | 109 civilians killed 200+ civilians injured |
The bombing of Cabra (7 November, 1938) was an aerial bombing raid on the town of Cabra, Andalusia during the Spanish Civil War. The air raid carried out by the Republican faction killed 109 civilians and wounded more than 200.
Throughout 1938, the Spanish Republican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de la República Española, FARE) carried out air bombings against Nationalist-held cities (among them Seville and Valladolid) [1] in retaliation for the bombing of Republican held cities such as Barcelona, Alicante and Granollers.
On 7 November 1938, three Tupolev SB bombers of the FARE, bombed the town of Cabra, in the province of Córdoba. One of the 200 kilograms (440 lb) bombs fell on the town's market, killing dozens of civilians. [2] The aircraft dropped six tons of bombs. Most of the bombs exploded in the market and in the working class districts. There were between 101 [2] and 109 civilians dead and 200 wounded. [3] The Nationalist anti-aircraft artillery was taken by surprise and reacted too late. The airstrike was carried out in the mistaken belief that Italian mechanized troops were stationed in the village. Once over the target, the pilots mistook the market's awnings for military tents. [4]
The bombing of Cabra was the deadliest bombing carried out by the Republican air force during the war.
The aerial bombing of cities is an optional element of strategic bombing, which became widespread in warfare during World War I. The bombing of cities grew to a vast scale in World War II and is still practiced today. The development of aerial bombardment marked an increased capacity of armed forces to deliver ordnance from the air against combatants, military bases, and factories, with a greatly reduced risk to its ground forces. The killing of civilians and non-combatants in bombed cities has variously been a deliberate goal of strategic bombing, or unavoidable collateral damage resulting from intent and technology. A number of multilateral efforts have been made to restrict the use of aerial bombardment so as to protect non-combatants and other civilians.
The Condor Legion was a unit of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War. The legion developed methods of strategic bombing that were used widely during the Second World War. The bombing of Guernica was the Condor Legion's most infamous operation. Hugo Sperrle commanded the unit's aircraft formations, and Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma commanded the ground element.
On 26 April 1937, the Basque town of Guernica was aerially bombed during the Spanish Civil War. It was carried out at the behest of Francisco Franco's rebel Nationalist faction by its allies, the Nazi German Luftwaffe's Condor Legion and the Fascist Italian Aviazione Legionaria, under the code name Operation Rügen. The town was being used as a communications centre by Republican forces just behind the front line, and the raid was intended to destroy bridges and roads. The operation opened the way to Franco's capture of Bilbao and his victory in northern Spain.
Frank Glasgow Tinker was an American volunteer fighter pilot for the Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española, during the Spanish Civil War.
The Argentine Air Force is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadier Major Fernando Mengo.
The Mexican Air Force is the air service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and as such overseen by the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Mexico. Its auxiliary tasks include internal security, assisting with public works, and natural disaster management. As of 2023, its commander is Bertín Hernández Mercado.
The Spanish Air and Space Force (SASF) is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces.
The Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk is a major upgrade of the McDonnell Douglas A-4M Skyhawk attack aircraft developed for the Argentine Air Force which entered service in 1998. The program was named Fightinghawk in recognition of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which was the source of its new avionics.
The War in the North was a theatre of the Spanish Civil War that occurred in northern Spain from 31 March to 21 October 1937.
The Legionary Air Force was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936, which marked the onset of the Spanish Civil War.
The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics and Naval Aeronautics, the Republican Air Force became the Air Forces of the Spanish Republic, also known as Arma de Aviación, after it was reorganized following the restructuring of the Republican Armed Forces in September 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. This defunct Air Force is largely known for the intense action it saw during the Civil War, from July 1936 till its disbandment in 1939.
The Bréguet 26T was a French single-engine biplane airliner that first flew in 1926.
The terms "Aviación Nacional", "Fuerza Aérea Nacional" and "Ejército Nacional del Aire" refer to military air units supporting General Franco against the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War and includes:
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system.
The bombing of Jaén was an aerial attack on the city of Jaén on 1 April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, by the Condor Legion of Nazi Germany, who fought for the rebels. The bombing was ordered by the General Queipo de Llano, as retaliation for a Republican air raid on the city of Córdoba.
The bombing of Barcelona was a series of airstrikes led by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany supporting the Franco-led Nationalist rebel army, which took place from 16 to 18 March 1938, during the Spanish Civil War. Up to 1,300 people were killed and at least 2,000 were wounded.
LAPE, Spanish Postal Airlines(Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas), was Spain's national airline during the Second Spanish Republic.
The Spanish Republican Armed Forces were initially formed by the following two branches of the military of the Second Spanish Republic:
The Spanish Republican Navy was the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939.