1st atomic bomb largest tank battle in ww2

European powers agreed at The Hague (a Dutch city) to prohibit dropping explosives 'from balloons or by other new methods of a similar nature.' The Hague Convention of 1907 went further by banning bombardments 'by whatever means' on 'undefended' towns. In this new 'total war,' military strategists purposely tried to destroy entire cities and their civilian populations.Īttempts to control warfare from the air occurred as early as 1899. The painting, which he titled 'Guernica,' became an icon for the terror experienced by civilians in war.īut the attack on Guernica turned out to be only a preview of a new type of war. The intentional slaughter of innocent people so enraged Pablo Picasso, the Spanish artist, that he immediately went to work on a painting based on the bombing attack. For the first time in history, bombing from the air had destroyed an entire town.

About 1,000 civilians were slaughtered during the three-hour assault.Īccounts of the attack on Guernica in French newspapers shocked the world.

A third wave of fighter planes then machine-gunned terrified men, women, and children as they ran for their lives. People were blown up in their houses, crushed by collapsing structures, and set afire in the streets. Legs, arms, heads, and bits and pieces flying everywhere.Īnother wave of heavy bombers followed, destroying most of Guernica's buildings, even a church and hospital. They were lifted high into the air, maybe 20 feet or so, and they started to break up.

An eyewitness described what happened:Ī group of women and children. A squadron of experimental aircraft dropped the first bombs on the plaza in front of the railroad station filled with war refugees. They aimed their explosive and incendiary (fire) bombs into the center of the town. In the assault on Guernica, German pilots left a small munitions factory and other possible military targets untouched.

1st atomic bomb largest tank battle in ww2