REBELS DENY BOMBING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 88, 30 April 1937, Page 5

REBELS DENY BOMBING

-Press Assn.

"Guernica Fire. Caused by.Loyalists^ GERMAN SHELLS USED

(By Teleeraph—

Copyright. >

(Beceived 30, 11 a.m*) LONDON, April 29. Tho instirgents assert that the destruction of Guemica was dtxe to Loyalists, before evacuatxiig the town, spraying petrol on the bxxildiflgs of the prineipai streets. These were chiefly of wood, thus a few inCendiary shells were sufficient to. turn the town into an iiiferno. Mines were also exploded. It is officially denied that Germaxx aeroplanes boxnbed Guernica. The Times 's Biibao correapondet says: "General Franco's denial oi knowledge of the destruction of Guernica has not created astonishment here as a similar but less tetrible bombing at Durango was denied by the insurgents in the presence of British eyewitnesses. I have spoken to hundreds of homelesp and distressed and all give precisely the same description of events. "Unexploded German aluminium incendiary bombs were found marked 'Bheindorf factory, 1936.' The types of German aeroplanes were Junkef heavy bombers, Heinkel medium bombers and Heinkel chasers. "According to the statements ,of German pilots captured in April the German planes are mahned entirely by

•MBIWMKWHMilMmVWWdW German pilots. Nearly all the crews of the German planes left Germany in February." The loyalists are retreating from Durango to prepared defences. They are showing greater steadiness than in the provious four days when their morale was shaky. The improvement is attributed to the effect on them on the destruction of Guernica* Sixteen insur gent planes flew over Biibao to-night but were driven off. Canon Onianda, who witnessed the raid on Guernica, has gone to Bome to ask the Vatican to intercede with the insurgents to prevent a repetition of the Guernica holicaust.