reality. Most of the people oppose the coup d’etat and the fascism. And more important is that thousand and thousand of Cantabrians were decided to fight against them. Even kids try to join the reds militias.
After the Cup d’etat the Independence of Cantabria was a fact. Our Country was no longer physically dependant of the Spanish State. But the difficult situation outside Cantabria was going to influence.
The day after the defeat of the fascist the political contacts to make a Cantabrian Council started. It was set up fast. Apart of the official representation of the old administration (representatives of the army, state forces and old politicians like the province president were there) was some representation from the trade-unions and left-wing organizations. We passed in one day to be part of Castile,a Province, to a separated Land and independent Country..
The structures of the administration where filled with locals and nationals (an unusual fact because under direct Spanish Republic rule and before the majority was from other parts of the State, specially teachers). The Cantabrian Council organize without external help the daily life. Cantabria eat what Cantabria produce and what was able to exchange out of it borders (something very difficult indeed). And finally the Cantabrian Council organize quickly the Cantabrian Army (Santanderinian called at that time) to defend the territory. A Special Unit of volunteers was formed with the name of “Luciano Malumbres” to honour the popular leader killed by fascists terrorists. And it was trained by a former legionary that was surprise of their decision, discipline and will to fight as he told in a interview to a newspaper at that time. Even people with more than 50 years present themselves as volunteers to go to fight the fascism and defend Cantabria.
Many battalions were also sent both to Asturias and to Euskadi to help in the defence.
A tragic and the event was going to shock again the People of Santander and Cantabria when at the end of the year, in Christmas time Santander was going to be attack.
The Bombing of Santander:
Cantabrian coast and specially Santander sometimes was bombed by Spanish warships that they were blocking the Cantabrian harbours and people were getting used to that.
But something different was going to happened the 27 of December, when the people was in the streets enjoying a peaceful day, when the kids were without school enjoying Christmas holidays. The first bombing of a city -for sure in the north including the world know Gernika- was going to happened.
Up to near 20 planes appear in the skies of Santander. At that time the people didn’t saw many of them and for sure they didn’t fell the threat. The planes were going around in the air and the people were looking at them curious… Suddenly they start to the thrown dozens of bombs many of them fire bombs. The people tried to reach the anti-air refuges but many never get into them. In some cases even the anti-air refuges places were attacked with fire bombs. The horror was huge. Houses falling in many working class neighbourhoods, fires everywhere, dozens (more than probably hundreds) of bodies dead and mutilated in the streets, most of them women and children….this was the result of the coward attack. Germans planes of the Legion Condor, at the service of Spanish Fascism had the “honour” of attacking a city and make a massacre in the middle of Christmas time.
The day after hundreds of furious persons went to a ship-prison in the Santander’s bay, where they were hundreds of fascist prisoners and they killed more than a hundred in response to the coward massacre of the day before.The feelings of the People were boiling with anger and hate.
But a good new was going to come thanks to the old republicans planes based in La Albericia airfield, in Santander. So old that even most of them have to drop the bombs manually.
Since near the 18 of July Cantabria was suffering a hard sea-blockade by the Spanish fascist navy. Also fishing boats and fishing men were kidnapped by the war ships. The most important s