April 26 in Military History — On This Day

⚔️📍 London, England1915

Secret Treaty of London — Italy Enters WWI

Italy signed a secret treaty with Britain, France, and Russia promising to enter WWI on the Allied side in exchange for territorial gains in the Adriatic, South Tyrol, and colonial Africa. Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary the following month.

Italy's entry stretched Austrian forces and opened a new front in the Alps, but Italy's dismal military performance and dissatisfaction with postwar territorial settlements fueled the fascism that brought Mussolini to power.

Outcome

Italy enters WWI on May 23, 1915

Bombing of Guernica

On a Monday — market day — the Condor Legion conducted a systematic destruction of Guernica, the spiritual capital of the Basque people. Waves of aircraft dropped high-explosive bombs to destroy buildings, then incendiaries to start fires, then machine-gunned survivors in the streets. The bombing shocked the world and inspired Pablo Picasso's masterpiece. Nationalists initially denied responsibility, claiming Republicans had burned the town themselves — a lie that held for decades.

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