BIG AIR-RAID ON BARCELONA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 85, 20 January 1938, Page 5

BIG AIR-RAID ON BARCELONA.

FIVE HUNDRED; REPORTED DEAD BENZINE TANKS EXPLODED. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, January 19. The British United Press correspondent at Algiers says that the local wireless station broadcast a message stated to have been picked up from the British tanker Esturai,: “During an intensive air raid on Valencia, 500 children and a large number of adults were killed. Bombs exploded the benzine storage tanks.”

REBEL RAID ON BARCELONA. THOUSAND-POUND BOMBS. ... (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) BARCELONA, January 19. An air raid, which was the worst the city has known, was made when the streets were crowded with women and children. ’Pianes dropped bombs weighing about lOOOlbs. It is officially announced that 100 were killed or wounded.

i INCREASED EFFICIENCY, . THE LOYAL ARMY STRENGTH. ; . ... - . LONDON,. January 18. " y , The Teruel correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph’? reveals that an immense increase has taken place in the fighting power of the Loyalists. He adds, that for the first time they have shown a, really efficient military machine in operation, displaying a- discipline and a manoeuvring capacity which even the most sanguine observers had not expected six months ago. An outstanding feature of their new efficiency is the superiority of the Loyalist infantrymen, and not only in shock troops. The result of the Teruel conflict indicates that the fiercest fighting of the campaign may be expected in the spring and that the result will depend on the infantrymen. General Franco found that the Tooth of Teruel (Mount Muela) broke the line, but his infantry failed hi'mj be cause he used numbers of half-trained soldiers —a strange state of affairs after 18 months of warfare.

Significance attaches to the humanitarianism and discipline of the Loyalists in taking a town containing 14,000 civilians. Admittedly cne quarter ol the priest civilians were shot, but on the other hand 20,000. persons including soldiers, were evacuated in orderly fashion,

There was. some small scale looting as a result of which arrests were made. The chief interest does not lie with Teruel, which is a mass of ruins, but with. the strategy of the contending forces. The two outstanding Loyalist leaders are General Vincente Rojo, Commander-in-Chief, who directed tire Teruel operation and -Lieutenant-Col-onel Eurique Lister, who cut the rebel communications and afterwards parried their violent attempt' to relieve the town. He commands 14,000 shock troops, intensively trained in the art of war, who improve immeasureably every month. Mere will be heard of him.

The Minister for War, Senor Don Indalecio Prieto, and the Chief of Staff have competently organised the Loyalist army, securing adequate petrol and food supplies. The Government is short of officers, but by the end of summer there should be a first-rate fighting forcer ■ 1 ' ‘ r ‘.'' /;’ . General France's army, on the contrhry, has imprdvCd'.'little since the outbreak of the struggled Unless he can produce better iiifahtry than at Teruel his prospects are not bright.