On 30 October, in the afternoon after the child murder of Getafé, general Franco announces: «Only a few days still and we will drink our coffee at the Puerta del Sol.» This was also reported by the «Voelkischer Beobachter».
By the bombardment, by which he tries to affirm its assertions, 125 persons are killed, more than 300 have been wounded. The whole city is excited, every habitant feels these wounds as if they were wounds of his own body.
In the next days the «Moros» arrive at the river Manzanares before Madrid. They penetrate into the Casa del Campo, enter the university. They are a few kilometers before the Puerta del Sol. However in these days the defence of Madrid is organized. There are two words, which are stronger than all Bombs: «No pasaran!» («they will not pass!»)
On November 9, 1936 Franco wants to march into Madrid. But the coffee gets cold at the Puerta del Sol. The place is abandoned, while the work of destruction of the «Junkers» and «Caproni» continues over Madrid. In the last eight days the citizens of Madrid learned that looking for protection is no cowardice. Nevertheless 80 civilians were killed and 400 injured. On this day the soldiers were all at the front.
Until today, Franco did not go further than the front line of Madrid of November 9, 1936. Every day german and italian bombs have been dropped on Madrid, but the republican fighter planes and the anti-aircraft artillery made the enterprise gradually more dangerously. In the meantime with the heavy artillery supplied by Hitler was installed in Getafé. The more closely parts of Madrid suffers most.
The Spanish women have the rescue of Madrid with victim courage and energy to protect to help. Many of these women were killed, while they were to queue around a ration beans, bread, rice or found oil many with the return its children dead, from bombs torn up.
After Christmas 1936 the heavy artillery takes over, served from soldiers and officers of the german army more and more the role of the planes. During two years their shells fall almost every day on Madrid.
On January 5, 1937 the airplanes appear again, 23 Junkers over the Plaza Cibeles. On 9th they come at night all half hour and drop indifferently their load over the dark city.
More easily than a certain target one meets into a mass of humans. It is not coincidence that the night bombardment begins on Sunday always at the end of the cinema and stage performance, before the visitors go home. Despite the mortal danger the demonstrations of the Chaplin film «modern times» are overcrowded. (This film is forbidden in the third Reich.)
