USING TURKEYS... AS PARACHUTES?!

AMANECER NEWSPAPER

May 15th, 1937

USING TURKEYS... AS PARACHUTES?!

Yesterday, a man from the Civil Guard who escaped from a republican offensive, told me a very interesting story.
He was part of the refugiated group that stayed from August 18th of the last year, in Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza's sanctuary in Andújar, Jaén. They went there with the captain of the Civil Guard, Santiago Cortés, and the group was formed by 165 members from the "Benemérita", 44 civilians and 4 priests; all of them with their respective families that made a total amount of 1200 people. At first, they were there in a voluntary seclusion, they even went to Andújar to get supplies and receive medical assistance; but later on, they became sieged by the republican troops.
The only way of supplying themselves was aerial, because supplies came from Seville and Córdoba, but using parachutes to obtain them was impossible due to the difficulty that supposed making them fall in the little bastion of the sanctuary. As a result, they decided to use two techniques: first, descending the most they could, and going up again rapidly after having given them the provisions. And the second, the turkey technique for the most delicate and light supplies (like medicines).

This method consisted in throwing turkeys which had some provisions tied to them, in a vertical way to the bastion. With their frenetic wingbeat, that didn't allow them to fly, but to slow down the fall, they could land without breaking the load. Besides, this curious parachute could be eaten, as the man said to me laughing. So finally, thanks to this supplies they could survive 9 months... The first day of this month, the Sanctuary fell down due to the republican offensive, but he and his family could escape, and luckily, I have been able to relate you this amusing fact in his place.

Mario García, journalist from Amanecer in the region of Andalucía.

(Webgraphy: http://laguerracivil.webnode.es/curiosidades/ )