Chapter 7:
April 25, 1937
Vitoria, Basque Country, Northern Spain The Nationalist faction's northern offensive was going smoothly. The first target of the offensive was the Basque Country, located in the eastern part of north-central Spain.
From the start, the Basque people had a conservative disposition and their inclinations were different from the left-wing progressive Republican faction government, especially the anarchists who made up the majority.
However, the Basque people had strong regional separatist tendencies and disliked the Nationalist faction, which advocated for one strong Spain, so they sided with the Republican faction after being promised expanded autonomy.
The Nationalist Government, led by Franco, took note of this point and began their offensive, promising peaceful treatment upon surrender, and it worked.
The Basque army, whose disposition was different from the Republican faction government to begin with and had been all but abandoned, had low morale, and many fell for the Nationalist Government's promise, beginning a continuous retreat.
Meanwhile, the Condor Legion supported the ground forces' advance while faithfully carrying out 'mistaken bombings' at Franco's request.
Given that the one who requested it was Franco himself, he probably never intended to keep his promise of peaceful treatment from the start.
In this offensive, Lieutenant Colonel Richthofen, leading the Luftwaffe, rained down incendiary bombs on the cities of Otxandio and Durango, which had virtually no air defenses, and naturally, civilian casualties mounted.