SITUATION NOW EASIER

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22109, 3 June 1937, Page 11

SITUATION NOW EASIER

Germany Professes To Be Content WIDESPREAD DAMAGE AT ALMERIA (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) (Received June 2,2 p.m.) LONDON, June 1. Though Signor Mussolini has returned to Rome, though 14 Italian warships have assembled at Naples to await developments, though II Duce is agreeable to the co-ordina-tion of Italian and German operations, and though Herr Hitler is reinforcing his fleet in Spanish waters, the situation nevertheless has eased, at least superficially. Germany professes contentment for the time being with her retaliation for the bombing of the Deutschland, the death of whose twenty-sixth victim is now reported. There is a general feeling that portentous matters are engaging the attention of the British Cabinet, though nothing has been disclosed. Details of the bombing of Almeria indicate that German shells de- • stroyed nearly all the ships, the harbour and a large part of the town. Sir George Young says that the bombardment was most atrocious in view of the nature of the missiles employed. These were big shells with time fuses which exploded some moments after contact, literally scattering shrapnel and killing and wounding anything living within a radius of many yards. Almeria had already been bombed fop five nights by aircraft. N.Z. PILOT IN SPAIN SERVICE IN LOYALIST AIR FORCE “NON-INTERVENTION SCHEME A FARCE” FREMANTLE, June 2. Captain E. N. Griffiths, a New Zealand aviator, who arrived by the Maloja, said he had been on active service with the Spanish Government forces. The non-i -tervention agreement was a farce. The rebel aircraft were all either German or Italian, and they were mostly imported through Portugal. The Government aeroplanes, totalling about 300, were mostly of Russian origin, and were outnumbered bv at least two to one by the rebel air force. Captain Griffiths, who was wounded while fighting enemy aerof Janes at Toledo on September 26 ast, hopes to return to Spain after three months’ holiday in New Zealand. Captain Griffiths said he was a member of the last Byrd Antarctic expedition, and since then he had been flying commercial machines in China. Considerable help with men, munitions, and aeroplanes had come from Russia for the loyalists, while with the rebel forces were about 120,000 Italians and between 40,000 and 50,000 Germans. “It seems to be a fight until one or the other side is exterminated,” he said. “The Russian machines were first brought in in sections, but now factories have been equipped in Spain, and they are turning out complete aeroplanes at the rate of two daily.” Explaining his participation in the hostilities. Captain Griffiths said that in August he was engaged to flj aeroplanes purchased by the Spanish Government from England. These activities were subsequently stopped by the British Government, and he then received an offer to fight as a pilot for the Government forces and he joined a squadron at Madrid, Of the 20 members, 16 were killed and three wounded, while the other was still fighting. Five of the pilots were British and only one other and himself escaped. MORE REFUGEES FROM BILBAO 3000 BASQUES LANDED AT LA PALLICE (Received June 2, 9 p.m.) LA PALLICE, June 1. The Spanish steamer Habana, escorted by a destroyer, landed 3000 refugees from Bilbao. BRITISH ARMY NURSES FOR GIBRALTAR TO TEND DEUTSCHLAND VICTIMS (Received June 2, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, June 1. Two Royal Air Force flying-boats are taking four Army nurses from Calshot to the military hospital at Gibraltar to assist in nursing the victims of the bombardment of the Deutschland.