The bombing of Sant Vicenç de Calders was an aerial bombing of the railway station of

Sant Vicenç de Calders Sant Vicenç de Calders is a village in the El Vendrell Municipalities of Spain, municipality, in the Baix Penedès Comarcas of Spain, comarca, Province of Tarragona, Spain. The village was an independent municipality until the 1940s, and is SE o ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. It was carried out on 8 October 1938 at the behest of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

's nationalist regime by the ''

Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force ( it, Aviazione Legionaria, es, Aviación Legionaria) 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 facti ...

'' of its fascist Italian allies.

Background

railway station is located at the important

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

of the lines from the Sant Vicenç de Calders– L'Hospitalet railway, and Madrid–Barcelona railways. The two lines meet from the village of Sant Vicenç itself, and around the station at the junction there is the ''barri de l'estació'', a railway town. The railway junction was repeatedly bombed by the rebel faction during the

, particularly by the ''

'' based in

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

– and occasionally by the

Condor Legion The Condor Legion (german: Legion Condor) was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legio ...

. The recurrent bombing of Sant Vicenç de Calders junction during the war killed a total of 83 persons and injured over 200, mostly civilians. Damaged railway lines were subsequently repaired.Catalunya bombardejada – Memorial Democràtic – Gencat.cat
/ref>

Bombing

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.The Associated Press: ''Report'', Amarillo Sunday News Globe v. 9. October 1938
/ref> The attack was carried out by a single bomber that came in from over the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

,Australian Associated Press: ''Bombs dropped on train''; The Recorder v. 10. October 1938, p. 1.
/ref> and hit a civilian passenger train that had just entered the junction on its way from

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tar ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. Six passenger wagons were destroyed.NN: ''Loyalists seize new positions in Toledo sector''; Chicago Daily Tribune v. 10. October 1938, p. 4.
/ref> After it hit its target, the aircraft circled around and made a strafing run.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sant Vincenç Explosions in 1938 1938 in Catalonia Conflicts in 1938 October 1938 events Airstrikes during the Spanish Civil War Battles involving Italy Province of Tarragona Spanish Civil War massacres Airstrikes conducted by Italy

Background

Bombing

See also

Footnotes