AERIAL RAIDS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 207, 30 May 1938, Page 9

AERIAL RAIDS

Valencia And Barcelona Bombed

INSURGENT PLANES

Government Sends Note To France And Britain

By Telegraph.—Pre-ss Assn. —Copyright.

(Received May 29, 7 p.m.)

Barcelona, May 28. Eight insurgent planes .dropped two lots of bombs in six minutes in an early morning raid. They were driven off by anti-aircraft batteries. The casualties are unknown.

A Valencia message states that Ger man planes bombed the city, 12 being ( killed and 30 wounded. The Spanish Government has sent a Note to Britain, pointing out that, in conformity with the British and I* reach request, Government planes had not bombed open towns, nevertheless the bombardment of Alicante had elicited not a single public word of condemnation. The Spanish Government, therefore, was obliged to request from Britain a concrete statement “on the negotiations that Britain and France initiated in' February to prevent the air-bombing of open cities; also whether Britain intends to initiate measures to prevent a repetition of such crimes.” A similar Note has been delivered to France.

FRENZIED ATTACK

Loyalists Try To Regain

Power Plant

Burgos, May 27

Six days of frenzied fighting in the Noguera Pallaresa Valley of the Segre, due to desperate efforts, by the loyalists to recover the sources of Barcelona’s electricity supply in west ern Catalonia, achieved meagre results despite wave after wave of attacks involving enormous quantities of men and material. The rebels claim to have inflicted 25,000 casualties, but they must have sustained, heavy losses. The immediate objective of the rebels in Valencia, whither two army, corps, totalling 100,000 men, are working their way from Teruel and Castellon.

General Franco’s armies in Aragon have been halted on the Segre, and Italian divisions have been withdrawn from the lower Ebro sector for recuperation after losing 729 killed and 2512 wounded.

ITALIAN OBSERVER

Arrest Denied By Spanish Embassy

(British Official Wireless.)

Rugby, May 27.

In accordance with the Non-Inter-vention Committee’s request to the British Government, Mr. J. H. Leche, British Charge d’Affaires at Valencia, has asked: the Spanish Government for an inquiry into the arrest of the Italian non-intervention observer Mezzo Capa. According to a Press Association message, the Spanish Embassy in London denies that the Italian observer Signor Capa has been imprisoned. “After landing at Valencia,” it states, “he lodged at a leading hotel under the care of the authorities and was then transferred to a hotel at Barcelona, from which he was escorted to-day to Perpignan by police. He was treated throughout with the utmost consideration.”-

Signor Capa was an observer on the steamer Greatend, which on arrival at Valencia was bombed and sunk to the waterline. Signor Capa being arrested and imprisoned. Mr. Leche has demanded his immediate release.

INQUIRY ORDERED

Cerbere Bombardment

London, May 27.

The Paris correspondent of the “Daily Telagraph” says that the Government has ordered an inquiry to establish the responsibility for the Cerbere bombardment, after •which most energetic representations are proposed. The bombardment occurred when most .of the population were dancing in the main square at a local festival. A Paris message states that the Premier, M. Daladier, has ordered a high military officer to report on the bombardment of Cerbere and to take all necessary measures, including the,dispatch of anti-aircraft batteries, to prevent further raids. He has also given orders for several French warships to strengthen the land batteries.

GENERAL TRONCOSO

Killed In Action In Spain

(Received May 29, 8.15 p.m.)

Barcelona, May 29.

It is reported that General Troncoso has been killed in action while commanding a brigade against the Republicans.

General Troncoso, formerly Nationalist Military Governor of Iran, attempted, with three others, to seize the Republican submarine C2, at Brest (France), last September. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, but later released.