LOYALISTS IN BAD WAY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 29 March 1938, Page 5

LOYALISTS IN BAD WAY

HEADLONG RETREAT OF “PEOPLE’S ARMY” REBEL STANDARD ON CATALONIAN SOIL (Received 29th March, 12.55 p.m.) BURGOS. 28th March. For the first time in the civil war the rebel standard floats on Catalonian soil. While with bombing planes blasting the way for the victorious infantry, General Franco continues the drive to Lerida, the key to Catalonia, Loyalists are conducting the civil evacuation of the town in the hope of battling for its retention. General Franco’s vanguard is already visible from Lerida, and other detachments are advancing elsewhere than by the main road. Barbastro is clouded in smoke, indicating that the loyalists set fire to the town before retreating. One hundred and sixty warplanes in wave after wave bombed Fraga, shattering all hope of defence and killing 1500 mostly soldiers, because the majority of the civilians had already fled.

The capture of Mequinenza, where the Cinca joins the Ebro, means the entrapment of loyalists on the left bank of the Ebro, north of Caspe, and also a threat to the loyalists on the right bank immediately the rebels from Mequinenza join their comrades on the Caspe ridge.

The Burgos correspondent of “The Times” says that the line of the Republican defences at Cinca was selected months ago as the most favourable position to be fortified. Accordingly the inability of the Republicans to stand more than a few hours behind it betrays the degree of demoralisation and disorganisation which is sapping the military machine. The new “People’s Army” is retreating headlong from the Pyrennees to Castellon. It is difficult not to believe that the loyalist armies are beaten beyond recovery. The Andorra correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph” says the French have taken full precautions along the Pyrennees frontier in readiness for a possible collapse of the defence of Cata-

lonia. They have stationed reserve troops in order to disarm fugitives and prevent them entering France.