FIERCE BATTLE NEAR MADRID

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22017, 15 February 1937, Page 9

FIERCE BATTLE NEAR MADRID

REBELS CHECKED AT RIVER

DESPERATE OFFENSIVE

CIVIL EVACUATION URGED TO CONSERVE FOOD \ UNHID PtXSS ASSOCIATION I—COPTEI&HT.) 1 —COPTEI&HT.) (Received February 14, 9.15 p.m.) MADRID, February 13. The battle for the mastery of the Valencia highway, on which the capital's food supplies depend, continues. The Government claims that it coun- ! ter-attacked for 24 hours and captured important positions, the booty including'two tanks. The insurgents declare that they repulsed other counter-attacks, capturing five tanks and three guns. Reports telephoned to-night state that the insurgent mechanised forces! again attempted, in the afternoon, i to force the salient on the Jarama, river to.the north of the capital, and were met by a withering fire from machine-guns, mortars, and rifles. Scores of aeroplanes bombed tanks attempting to force a passage across the river. The Government claims to have brought down three insurgent aeroplanes. One, according to the newspapers, was piloted by; an Italian, who was killed. The Government asserts.that all the rebel attacks were beaten ofl after six hours' terrific fighting with heavy losses. -cvanm 1 * Meanwhile, General * rancq j forcls Tgain took the offensive m Sher sectors near Madrid makmg ;a snecial effort to reach the Aragon highway in the Guadalajara region Fiehting has recommenced m tne UnnVersitv City of Madrid, where STbattle which lasted throughout the night, the Government claims to I have recovered the greater part of the West Park. . . The authorities are again urging voluntary evacuation by non-com-batants to ease the food problem and to avoid the dangers ■ of bombardments and air raids. It is,omcially announced that in the bombardments and raids. 573 ciyihans I have been killed, / including 161 women and 218 children, and that 1884 have been injured, of whom auu are women, since the beginning of the siege. ' < >

New Loyalist Efforts The Madrid correspondent of "The Times" states that, far from being depressed by the fall of Malaga, the defenders of the capital have been spurred to new efforts. They demand conscription, a single high command, and the cessation of party rivalries so that they may present an undivided front. They repulsed attacks at Lasrozas and Moncloa, and virtually brought the rebels on the Jarama salient to a standstill. _ The desperate nature of the. attempted rebel advance from Jarama can be gauged from their having hurled 1500 cavalry across a wrecked bridge in a half-mile charge across the plain against hills defended by machine-guns. The rebels launched intensive bombardments, under cover of which the horsemen advanced. The animals stumbled at the bridge but the majority struggled across and surged forward m a solid mass while machine-guns emptied saddle after saddle. Nevertheless, the cavalry reached the foothills. The riders flung themselves off, left their horses with horseholders, advanced on foot with nana •grenades, and won the crest of the hills. Check at River Suddenly five Russian tanks roared into action from the loyalist positions and shelled (the cavalry, the survivors of which galloped for shelter behind the bluff. The tanks then paid attention to the rebel artillery, compelling its partial withdrawal.

The loyalist infantry promptly traversed the plain under fire until they were able to occupy the trenches which they had previously prepared, only to be attacked by two regiments of rebels numbering 5000. who crowded into groups and were subjected to a galling fire of ma-chine-guns from 16 Government aeroplanes, which suddenly swooped down. The aeroplanes wheeled and returned to the attack, tb be met with fire from rebel "Archies," which earlier were taken by surprise. One machine-gun was blown to bits in mid-air by a direct hit. The remainder of the rebel artillery and tanks attempted to cross the river, but were checked by loyalists, ending the first phase of what General Franco hopes will be the decisive battle in the onslaught on Madrid.

EIGHT KILLED IN AIR RAID

ALMERIA BOMBED BY REBELS (Received February 14, 9.36 p.m.) MADRID, February 13. At Almeria, in the south of Spain, the insurgents bombed a workingclass district, killing eight persons. Aeroplanes dropped pamphlets demanding the surrender of the town.

SPANIARDS EXPLOITED , BY FOREIGNERS.

ANGLICAN BISHOP'S VIEW

GIBRALTAR, February 12. The Bishop of Gibraltar has issued a statement maintaining the value of investigating the complicated issues in Spain, but deprecating the Church of England identifying itself with either side. The statement adds: "Foreign interventionists are exploiting the Spaniards. General Franco, broadly speaking, is with the Spanish Church which is the true church of the country, in spite of the notorious abuses by Spanish Protestants in support of the loyalist Government."