Furious Struggle for Capital

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 173, 24 July 1936, Page 7

Furious Struggle for Capital

APPARENTLY BEGUN,

LONDON, July 22. Tho 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. Rival Claims to Ascendancy. Each of the adversaries still claims the ascendancy, General Queipo do Llano declaring that a triumph for the national revolution has nearly been accomplished, while the Government issues sanguine prophecies of success. The Government, however, it 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, Ban 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 Buitrago heights, 30 miles north of Madrid. His ultimatum demanding the Government’s resignation has been followed by reports of his death in action near Pamplona. His rearguard is threatened by tho Government troops in lorries crammed with armed men and women, the latter wearing trousers, army boots and shirts, and armed with revolvers, 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.

Action North of Madrid.

Besides the contact made on tho 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.

The Government claims to have captured Guadalajara, Toledo, Buitrago, La Granja, and Almauza. Their force arc believed to be carrying out a strategic retreat from Navarre, which is preponderantly pro-Fascist. Captain Mola, a brother of the rebel commander, committed suicide at Barcelona.

Fresh conflicts in Barcelona have resulted in 500 deaths, a* now revolt having broken out after the 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, urmed with weapons-captured from the rebels, are destroying churches and public buildings. They control the entire province except Seo de Urgel, whence their sympathisers have been driven into Andorra by the rebels. Refugees to France.

The Barcelona correspondent of The Times telegraphing from Perpignan, France, describes his flight with French refugees in motor-cars and char-a-bancs running the gauntlet of ambushes and barricades, on which tho fugitives learnt that Government supporters shot tho 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 Yich before the concerted signal was launched. In three days’ fighting at Barcelona the Government troops were gradually victorious, but although the rebel General Goded 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. In Defence of Madrid. 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 tho formation of committees controlling the workers distributed throughout tho city and suburbs. There are 1500 cars for patrols, aud 200 in reserve, guarded by machine-guns. Many girls accompany the patrols, who arc quelling snipers' activities from tho 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 tho imprisonment, in Madrid of the correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, Mr Rowland IVinn, son of Lord St. Oswald. Naval Battle In Strait. A fierce naval battle has ben raging in the Strait of Gibraltar. Warships aided by three Government aeroplanes, bombed and machine-gunned the rebel barracks at La LTuea, which" responded, several shells falling in Gibraltar harbour aud near tho Devil’s Gap battery, causing the British troops to man the guns ou the upper rock. Refugees from Malaga and Marbclia describe the situation as ghastly. Tho 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 Loudon tanker, British Endeavour, and bombed and machine-gunned the Liverpool steamer, Mahratta. There were no casualties, though steel fragments struck the tauker. A shell fired from a warship against rebel war ’planes exploded ashore near the Rock hotel, causing a small landslipc. Aircraft fled over the Bock and turned back towards Ceuta amid a hail of shrapnel, which exploded over tho naval cinema and the Air Force headquarters. Goneral de Llano reports that three Government warships which were bombarding Cadiz havo been sunk by the rebels, but this was probably due to their departure for Puerto Mayorga, between Algeciras and 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.

The Times’ correspondent at Tangier states that a wounded officer and four men were landed from tho Jaimo I, which afterwards departed. They state that the crew killed all the other officers and mastered the ship, which has joined .the. .Government forces,