Dan Snow's History Hit: The Bombing of Guernica

Episode Date: December 8, 2025
Guest: David Bryden, Senior Lecturer in Modern International Relations, King's College London
Main Theme:
This episode explores the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, examining its historical context, the motivations and methods behind the attack, its legacy and symbolism, and how it became a touchstone in the global consciousness of the brutality of modern warfare.

Episode Overview

Dan Snow delves into the events of April 26, 1937, when German and Italian forces bombed Guernica, a Basque town in Spain, marking one of the first systematic aerial bombardments of civilians in Europe. Joined by historian David Bryden, the conversation covers the Spanish Civil War’s context, the significance of Guernica, the details of the bombing, the aftermath, and the global resonance ignited by Pablo Picasso’s painting and international outrage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Spanish Civil War Context

• Origins of the War (03:42–05:31)
  • Civil war began in July 1936 after a failed coup by Spanish generals, including Francisco Franco.
  • The war quickly polarized into Republican-held cities (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia) and rebel-controlled territories.
  • David Bryden: "So civil war breaks out in July 1936, and it's really the consequences of a failed coup which is launched by a group of Spanish generals, including Francisco Franco..." (03:49)
• International Dimensions
  • The conflict became a proxy for broader ideological and geopolitical battles, with Germany and Italy supporting Franco’s rebels, and the Soviet Union supporting the Republic.
  • Britain and France pursued a policy of “non-intervention,” hoping to avoid escalation (06:57).

Guernica’s Symbolic Importance

• Why Guernica? (08:46–10:34)
  • Not a major military target, but a Basque cultural and political symbol.
  • Guernica was traditionally where Spanish rulers pledged to defend Basque liberties; highly significant to Basque nationalism.
  • David Bryden: “Guernica isn’t really important militarily, but it’s important symbolically...had this kind of ancient significance, and that was really picked up and magnified by the modern Basque nationalist movement...” (08:46)

The Bombing: Methods, Motives, and Witness Reports

• Events of April 26, 1937 (13:49–15:30)

  • The German Condor Legion, with Italian support, used high explosives and incendiary bombs, coordinated with rebel ground troops.
  • Journalists arrived soon after, providing immediate accounts—most famously George Steer’s in The Times.
  • George Steer's eyewitness report:

    "At 4:30pm when the market was full and peasants were still coming in, the church bell rang the alarm for approaching airplanes and the population sought refuge in siles. Five minutes later, a single German bomber appeared...About a quarter of an hour later, three Junkers arrived...the whole town was slowly and systematically pounded to pieces...The rhythm of this bombing was a logical one. First, hand grenades and heavy bombs to stampede the population, then machine gunning...Next, heavy and incendiary bombs to wreck the houses and burn them on top of their victims." (13:49–15:30)

• A New Type of Warfare (18:24–19:55)

  • Systematic destruction of the entire town using combined high explosive and incendiary bombs—a methodical, pre-planned assault aimed at crushing morale, not merely hitting military targets.

  • Key detail: the main bridge and a munitions factory were left largely undamaged, implying the true goal was civilian terror, not strategic destruction of infrastructure.

  • David Bryden:

    "What hadn’t happened before was this kind of systematic carpet bombing, this attempt to destroy entire towns. And so this is what is really new and unique about Guernica...it seems very clear that this is more than just an attempt to block off...the Basque troops...what they're really trying to do is to effectively annihilate the town as a whole." (18:34–19:55)

• Experimentation & Legacy (12:07–13:10, 19:55–21:44)

  • The Germans used the opportunity to refine new aerial warfare tactics, later deployed in WWII.

  • The bombing shocked the world, foreshadowing mass destruction in WWII—Rotterdam, Coventry, Dresden, Warsaw, and, by extension, Hiroshima.

  • Dan Snow:

    "It does sound, David, like they're trying to showcase a new way of war. This is the first time a sort of city wide experiment taking place. Can you destroy neighborhoods from the sky?" (19:55)

Civilian Impact and Casualty Uncertainty

• Casualties and Atrocities (22:15–24:08)
  • Precise casualty numbers are uncertain; estimates range from hundreds to around 1,600 deaths, amidst destroyed infrastructure and mass panic.
  • Many bodies were never recovered due to rapid rebel occupation post-bombing.
  • Eyewitnesses described machine-gunning of civilians, intensifying the sense of terror.

Aftermath: Propaganda, Denial, and International Response

• Propaganda and Denial (24:08–25:39)

  • Immediate Francoist denials; conspiracy claims that Republicans destroyed their own town; claims German planes couldn’t fly due to bad weather.
  • Misinformation and denial lingered for decades, impacting Spanish memory and public discourse.

• Military Consequences (25:39–27:17)

  • Despite Guernica being undefended and quickly falling, the attack’s main effect was in intimidating the Basque population and hastening the rebel advance toward Bilbao.
  • "Arguably they succeeded in their goal of undermining morale enough to ensure that Bilbao could be taken." (27:03–27:17)

The Legacy—Art, Memory, and Symbolism

• Guernica’s Symbolic Power and Picasso’s Painting (27:17–30:27)
  • Internationally, Guernica became an anti-war symbol, largely due to immediate press coverage and Picasso’s iconic mural.
  • Picasso started work days after the bombing, altering his World’s Fair commission to immortalize the atrocity.
  • The painting toured internationally, fundraising for humanitarian aid, and has continued to resonate, e.g., as a tapestry at the UN Security Council.
  • David Bryden:

    "He began the preparatory drawings on the 1st of May, so only a couple of days after the bombing, and immediately upon reading the first French accounts, eyewitness accounts of what had happened...he produced it incredibly quickly..." (28:36–30:27)

Lasting Lessons and the Failure of International Response

• Diplomatic Fallout (30:27–32:22)
  • Despite global outrage, Britain, France, and others did nothing effective to curb aerial bombardment or punish the perpetrators.
  • The international “non-intervention” effort was mostly for show; air raids continued with no meaningful diplomatic restraint.
  • David Bryden:

    "Ultimately, this desire from Britain and France, particularly to prevent a wider conflict, meant that there was no diplomatic consequences for the bombing of Guernica." (32:22)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the unique horror of Guernica:

  “This is more than just an attempt to block off the lines of retreat for the Basque troops...what they're really trying to do is to effectively annihilate the town as a whole.” (David Bryden, 18:34–19:55)

• On its significance as a warning:

  “Everyone realized very quickly that this could happen to a town in northern Spain, it could happen anywhere…Guernica is a precursor to what happens in Warsaw, in Rotterdam, in Coventry, in Dresden...” (David Bryden, 20:07–21:07)

• On Picasso’s rapid artistic response:

  “He began the preparatory drawings on the 1st of May, so only a couple of days after the bombing...the reports of the bombing inspired him to change his plans and to turn this mural into a portrayal of the horrors of modern warfare...” (David Bryden, 28:36–30:27)

• On modern resonances:

  “Something our modern audience will be all too familiar with—the denials and fake news really kick in...something that we've become all too familiar with, this very murky picture emerges immediately afterwards." (Dan Snow, 24:08–24:35)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:42 – Spanish Civil War background
• 08:46 – Guernica's symbolic importance
• 13:49 – George Steer's eyewitness report and systematic nature of bombing
• 18:34 – New era of warfare; methodical city destruction
• 22:15 – Casualties and human cost
• 24:08 – Propaganda, denial, and historical memory
• 25:59 – Aftermath: military and psychological effects
• 27:17 – Guernica’s legacy in Spain and internationally
• 28:36 – Picasso's painting and its global impact
• 30:41 – Ongoing aerial warfare in the civil war
• 32:22 – International response and lasting lessons

Conclusion

Dan Snow and David Bryden’s discussion reveals how the bombing of Guernica encapsulates the horrors and innovations of 20th-century warfare—serving as both a specific atrocity and a wider warning. While the attack hastened the Basque collapse, it was its symbolic resonance—immortalized by Picasso—that gave Guernica global, enduring significance. The episode's analysis, eyewitness testimony, and personal reflections drive home how Guernica became a benchmark for the deliberate targeting of civilians and the power of art and memory in shaping historical legacy.