From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
bombing of Sant Vicenc de Calders
was an aerial bombing of the railway station of
Sant Vicenc de Calders
,
Catalonia
, during the
Spanish Civil War
. It was carried out on 8 October 1938 at the behest of
Francisco Franco
's
nationalist regime
by the
Aviazione Legionaria
of its
fascist Italian
allies.
Background
[
edit
]
Sant Vicenc de Calders
railway station is located at the important
junction
of the lines from the Sant Vicenc de Calders?
L'Hospitalet
railway, and Madrid?Barcelona railways. The two lines meet three kilometres (2 mi) from the village of Sant Vicenc itself, and around the station at the junction there is the
barri de l'estacio
, a railway town.
The railway junction was repeatedly bombed by the rebel faction during the
Spanish Civil War
, particularly by the
Aviazione Legionaria
based in
Palma de Mallorca
? and occasionally by the
Condor Legion
. The recurrent bombing of Sant Vicenc de Calders junction during the war killed a total of 83 persons and injured over 200, mostly civilians. Damaged railway lines were subsequently repaired.
[1]
Bombing
[
edit
]
The bombing of 8 October 1938 was one of the war's deadliest, causing 40 to 60 deaths and over a 100 wounded, including numerous victims who were trampled in a subsequent stampede.
[2]
The attack was carried out by a single bomber that came in from over the
Mediterranean
,
[3]
and hit a civilian passenger train that had just entered the junction on its way from
Tarragona
to
Barcelona
.
[2]
Six passenger wagons were destroyed.
[4]
After it hit its target, the aircraft circled around and made a strafing run.
[2]
See also
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edit
]