SPANISH STRIFE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 255, 24 July 1936, Page 11

SPANISH STRIFE

Rival Elements Claim Successes BATTLE NEAR MADRID Loyalists Defeat Large Rebel Force PLANES BOMB WARSHIPS JBy Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. (Received July 23, 7.15 p.m.) London, July 22. The Government at Madrid and revolutionaries are striving furiously for mastery by sea, land, and air. While civil war is flaring to a climax and a decisive battle is being still awaited, English, French and American warships are alert at various points in order to safeguard their nationals. Incidentally, Gibraltar came under fire, but no damage was done.

Each of the adversaries still claims the ascendancy, General Quelpo de Llano declaring that a triumph for the national revolution has nearly been accomplished, while the Government issues sanguine prophecies of success. Th e Government, however, is precariously situated in the north, the rebels having constituted a rival Government at Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. Their leader. General Mola, desires to reduce Irun, San Sebastian and Barcelona by famine rather than by assault. His forces, which are reported to number 40,000, are advancing in two columns, one of which made contact with Government troops on the Bultrago heights, 36 miles north of Madrid. His ultimatum demanding the Govern ment’s resignation has been followed by reports of his death in action neai Pamplona. His rearguard is threatened by the Government troops in lorries crammed with armed men and women, the latter wearing trousers, army boots and shirts, and armed with re volvers, who are blowing up bridges and barricading roads to impede the advance of his hindmost soldiers, who expect to rally on Burgos to await reinforcements. His death, if confirmed, must check the advance of his forces. However, Captain Mola, his brother, committed suicide at Barcelona and reports of General Mola’s death may be due to confusion of the two names.

Besides the contact made on the Buitrago Heights, a rebel column is reported to be in action with Government troops 15 miles from Madrid. This means that the battle for the capital has actually begun. General Mola’s troops are well. trained and equipped with motorised artillery, whereas the defending army of 165,000 troops includes many inexperienced civilians.

Government Claims Victory.

A Government broadcast claims that numerous rebel columns converging on the capital have been defeated. It adds that communications intercepted from the rebels asking for reinforce ments show that they are in a desperate plight.

The “News Chronicle’s” Madrid correspondent says that loyalists ° n the high slopes of the Guadarrama range routed the greatest of 'he Fascist forces, which abandoned machine-guns, lorries and many prisoners.

The Government dispositions for the defence of Madrid, on which the rebels are advancing from Pamplona and Saragossa in the north and from Cadiz and Algeciras in the south, include the formation of committees controlling the workers distributed throughout the city and suburbs. There are 1500 ears for patrols, and 200 in reserve, guarded by machine-guns. Many girls accompany the patrols, who are quelling snipers’ activities from the roofs. Motor-lorries have left with several thousand militia for Saragossa. Another loyal column is about to converge on Saragossa from Catalonia. ■ The British Consul is inquiring about the imprisonment in Madrid of the correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph,’-’ Mr. Rowland Winn, son of Lord St. Oswald.

* In a broadcast at noon, the Minister of the Interior claimed that the rebels are in general rout throughout Spain, except at Saragossa. Valladolid, and Seville. Broadcasting from Seville, General de Llano claimed that aeroplanes have silenced three Government warships bombarding Cadiz. Refugees at Lisbon state that the entire province of Galicia is In the hands of the rebels. The Government claims to have captured Guadalajara, Toledo, Buitrago. La Granja, and Almanza. Their force are believed to be carrying out a strategic retreat from Navarre, which is preponderantly pro-Fascist.

Fighting at Barcelona.

Fresh conflicts in Barcelona have resulted in 500 deaths, a new revolt having broken out after Government control seemed to have been restored.

Government aeroplanes bombed the Leon aerodrome and destroyed eight aeroplanes. Anarchy reigns in northern Catalonia, where Government extremists, armed with weapons captured from the rebels, ate destroying churches and public nuildings They control the entire province except Seo de Urgel, whence their sympathisers have been driven into Andorra by the rebels The Barcelona correspondent of “The Times.” telegraphing from Perpignan. France, describes his flight' with French refugees in motor-cars I and char-a-bancs, running the gauntlet of ambushes, and barricades, and on which the fugitives learnt that Government supporters shot the rebel leader General Gay, who sentenced to death the Republican martyrs Captains Galan and Hernandez in 1930. Forty chapels, churches and convents were burnt at Vich before the concerted signal was launched. In three days’ fighting at Barcelona the Government troops were gradually victorious, but though the rebel General Coded surrendered and urged his followers to do so, they declined to yield and stood up to further slaughter before the Government, employing bombing aircraft and artillery, crushed their resistance. Toledo’s famous old castle was set on fire when loyalists bombed out rebels who were taking refuge in it. The newspaper “Claridad” says that owing to the action of the rebels, Guu-

dalajara had had to be reduced to ruins.

A fierce naval battle has been raging in the Strait of Gibraltar. Warships, aided by three Government aeroplanes, bombed and machine-gunned the rebel barracks at La Linea, which responded, several shells falling in Gibraltar harbour and near the Devil’s Gap battery, causing the British troops to man the guns on {lie Upper Rock. Refugees from Malaga and Marbella describe the situation as ghastly. The principal streets are completely burnt out. Three aeroplanes bombed the San. Roque barracks, held by rebels. Four submarines guard the harbour. A rebel airman, mistaking them for Spanish supply ships, bombed the London tanker British Endeavour, and bombed and machine-gunned the Liverpool steamer Mahratta. There were no casualties, though steel fragments struck the tanker. A shell fired from a warship against rebel war planes exploded ashore near the Rock Hotel, causing a small landslide. Aircraft, lied over the Rock and turned back toward Ceuta amid a hail of shrapnel, which exploded over the naval cinema and the Air Force headquarters.

Another attack on the Spanish fleet was made in the evening, when tour large aeroplanes from Ceuta dropped bombs around the Cervantes, Libertad and Jaime I ineffectively. A large crowd watched a battle scene unprecedented in Gibraltar Bay. Considering the terrific fire from the

warship’s anti-aircraft guns t,ie bombing was very accurate. The aircraft returned to Ceuta safely.

A message from Gibraltar states that the Spanish warships left their anchorage at night with only navigation lights showing. General de Llano reports that three Government warships which were bombarding Cadiz have been sunk by the rebels, but this was probably due to their departure for Fuerte Mayorga, between Algeciras ;ind La Linea, in search of fuel which was denied them at Gibraltar. The Spanish tanker Ophir supplied Government warships with oil fuel, but the Jaime I requires 1500 tons of coal, which is unobtainable. British Liner’s Escape. Rebel aeroplanes and loyal warships fought an engagement at Tangier, the result of which is unknown. The P. and O. liner Chitral narrowly escaped being shelled in a fog when she was escorted to Gibraltar by a British destroyer, which was mistaken for a rebel ship. Bombs fell 40 feet astern of the Chitral as she steamed out from Tangier. The Governor of Gibraltar, General Sir Charles Harington, is returning to Gibraltar from England. The Spanish fleet is short of fuel and has urgently requested supplies from the British authorities at Gibraltar.

“The Times’s” correspondent at Tangier states that a wounded officer and four men were landed from the Jaime I, which afterwards departed. They state that the crew killed all the other officers and mastered the ship, which has joined the Government forces. General Franco, leader of the rebels, sent a letter to the authorities at Tangier (which is in the international zone of Morocco) declaring that if the mutinous fleet is not allowed to use the bay as a fuelling and provisioning base the town will be bombed.

The president of the council of control agreed to discuss the situation.

Request to France.

The Spanish airmen who flew to Le Bourget yesterday are reported to have requested the French Government, in the name of the Spanish Government, first for permission to use aerodromes In French Morocco, secondly for facilities for refuelling warships in French ports, and thirdly for immediate delivery of 25 bombers with an adequate supply of munitions. It is believed that the first request was refused and the answers to the other two are thought to be uncertain as the French Cabinet is divided over the degree of support which can be given under the present circumstances.

AMERICAN CONCERN

European Squadron May Be Re-established (Received July 23, 5.5 p.m.) New York, July 22. The Washington correspondent of the “New York Times” says that grave concern was expressed by the State Department for the safety of Americans in Spain. Word had been received from the Embassy at Madrid indicating that the Spanish Government had declared itself unable to assure protection. The Ambassador, Mr. Bowers, had offered the hospitality of the Embassy to those wishing to seek refuge there, especially women and children. Irresponsible Communist and Socialist youths are increasingly committing acts of depredation. The Embassy is making every effort to lay in tinned foods. Supplies at Madrid are running short. In addition to the dispatch yesterday of naval vessels, the State and Navy Departments are considering the re-establishment of the European squadron because of the unsettled conditions in Europe. This squadron, after continuous existence for almost a century, was discontinued in 1929. BRITISH WARSHIPS Details of Movements (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, July 22. The situation in Spain continues to be extremely tense, although conflicting reports state that the actual posi tion is still very obscure. The insurgents evidently control several important centres in various parts of the country. The latest reliable reports indicate that Madrid is quiet, although the rebel forces are said to be converging on the capital. British naval forces are engaged in aiding stranded nationals. H.M.S. Shamrock took off 25 British subjects and Americans from Malaga, which, although now quiet, has suffered severely from tire. The submarine flotilla leader Douglas and three other destroyers left Malta for Spanish waters to-day, and other warships are in the neighbourhood of Spanish ports where there are British visitors or residents. It is stated that a British merchant ship in the Strait of Gibraltar was struck to-day by fragments of bombs from a Spanish aeroplane, although there appears at the moment to be uncertaintv as to which of the rival Spanish forces the machine belonged to. The Spanish disorders were the subject of a question in the House of Commons this evening, in reply to which the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Lord (‘ranborne, said that owing to stoppage of communications

from most parts of Spain it was still very difficult to obtain reliable information regarding the position. He was able to give the House a list of British warships which had proceeded or were preceding to Spanish ports with a view to the evacuation of British subjects if necessary. These included H.M.S. Shamrock to Malaga, H.M.S. Keppel to Vigo, H.M.S. London and Douglas and three destroyers to Barcelona, H.M.S. Devonshire to Palma. H.M.S. Wren to Corunna. H.M.S. Am phiou to Teneriffe, H.M.S. Keith to Valencia, H.M.S. Witch to Ferrol and H.M.S. Boadicea to Alicente. In addition to the British subjects assisted by the Shamrock at Malaga, British subjects had also been embarked on British ships at Algeciras. At all other places from which reports had been received from British consular representatives the British subjects were reported to be safe. In addition to the ship movements mentioned by Lord Cranborne, it is announced that British destroyers are proceeding to San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Gijon. The battleship Repulse will arrive at Gibraltar on Saturday with Gordon Highlanders.