hip of all their Navy was the battleship “ España”. Also its artillery was reinforced in German shipyards. The battleship was involved along with other war ships in many bombing of Cantabrian coast and of Santander itself.
One day when it was pursuing a merchant ship that was trying to reach Santander, was sighted by the Coast defence of the Cantabrian Army. Then the attack began from La Albericia airfield, where no many planes start the attack. The planes went to the battleship, dropped the bombs and went back to the airfield for more bombs. They were hit many times by the heavy anti-air artillery of the warship but they managed to continue. Many people were looking from the coast line without breathing.
At one point one of the bombs dropped hit the target. A huge explosion was heard even from the coast and the battleship started to get water. Then another bomb hit again. This was the end of the “ España”. Slowly went east (Euskadi direction) trying to reach a save harbour but he disappear in the waters of the Cantabrian Sea few miles and minutes later, taking with itself many lives of fascist sailors.
The people were really happy and celebrated the sink of this battleship symbol of the Spanish fascist navy.
We reach the middle of 1937. Franco’s mind was focused in the North, The fascist themselves said that here was the key for the victory.
The front line was in the beginning in the south of Cantabria, the east of Euskadi and the west of Asturias. The situation was this: in the West of Asturias the resistance was big, and were still fights around Oviedo, attacks and counter attacks. In the south of Cantabria the geography was an allied of the antifascist defenders and made the attack much more difficult. The east of Euskadi was then the most predictable way.
Then the fascist started attacking in that direction. But surprisingly the resistance wasn’t hard. The fascist move forward very fast and reached San Sebastian and conquer Gipuzkoa. Then the Basque Government order to leave the city without battle. The Basque army followed the instructions and forced the asturians and cantabrians militia battalions that were there to withdrew also to Vizcaya.
They defence was settled around Bilbao, a big industrial city. In theory a ring of bunkers were going to make really hard for the fascist to take the city. Or at least it was going to cost them a lot of effort and lifes. But again, without any serious fight in the city or around it the Basque government decided to withdrew and give the city to the fascist without resistance. Actually most of the willing of resistance came from some the asturian and cantabrian militias. The basque police removed them from the city and stay in it waiting for the arrival of the fascist troops to avoid any disturbance. Most of the Basque government flee to Santander, and the rests of the Basque Army follow them. Then thousands of basque refugees head Cantabria also where they were received friendly by the people. In few days Vizcaya in Gipuzkoa were in the fascist hands. Now the front line was in our borders, in the east and south of Cantabria.
Surprisingly some orders came from Madrid. It was to reorganize the Structures of the Governments and of the Armies. To united them in one body for all the North (Asturias, Cantabria… and Euskadi). This was in order to make space in them and give direct power for the Basque Government and Basque army even that they had already loose their territory. This reorganization happened in the worst moments with the enemy at the gates of our country. But unfortunately, many in the high level of the Cantabrian council were Spanish nationalist and many others still very mentally dependant of Madrid orders. The real independence was in the ground, in the daily life, in the mind of the People, in the militias, not in the army, police officials, generals or in the old politicians.
The main attack started the 14 of August in both south and east directions. The enemy had concentrate tons of ammunition, all the Italian Expeditionary Corps, Moors troops, Spanish divisions, p