In the first days of February 1937, what was probably the bloodiest massacre of the Spanish Civil War took place: for several days, along the 200 kilometres between Málaga and Almería along the coast, Franco's army, the Italian army and the German air force attacked civilians fleeing the city of Málaga without interruption by land, sea and air after it fell into the hands of the rebel troops, an exodus of terror popularly known as "la desbandá" (the disbandment). This work includes the testimony of the Canadian brigadier and doctor Norman Bethune, a key figure in the evacuation of the refugees.