FIGHT IN THE AIR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22481, 27 July 1936, Page 9

FIGHT IN THE AIR

SPANISH OFFICERS ONE THROWN OVERBOARD MOORS CROSS THE STRAITS By Telegraph—rress Association—Copyright (Received July '2<j, 6/>5 p.m.) MADRID. July 'ir, Flying-Officer Domingo Perez, who deserted from the rebels, says he took off at Melilla with Lieutenant Castro, ostensibly to bomb Granada and other Government towns. When over the Mediterranean the two men fought for a revolver which Perez secured and then threw out Castro. Perez declares that the situation of the Moroccan rebels is desperate. The men obey their officers only because they are terrorised. Two contingents of Moors are reported to have crossed the Straits of Gibraltar in unlighted ships under cover of darkness and to have landed at Algeciras and La Linea. They are advancing to Malaga, and airmen are trying to hamper their movements. The latter bombed Algeciras and Ceuta. The Government announces that the rebels surrendered at Albacete and claims to have brought down two rebel aeroplanes while another one was deserted.

ATTACK ON MADRID GENERAL MOLA'S THREAT PROMINENT CASUALTIES MADRID, July CM General Mola has issued a manifesto declaring that the insurrectionaries hold four-fifths of Spain. They have constituted a provisional Government at Burgos under the presidency of General San Miguel Cabalellas. General Mola declares that he can attack Madrid with 60,000 troops immediately contact is established with his troops advancing from the south. Senor Quiroga, who resigned the Premiership at the outbreak of hostilities, was wounded in the advance on Madrid.

Manuel Alvarez, Geneva correspondent of the Spanish newspaper El Liberal, was killed while covering the Guadarrama fighting.

OPPOSING FORCES PLACES THE REBELS CONTROL FAMOUS WOMAN ARRESTED LONDON, July The Madrid correspondent of the Daily Mail allots the rival forces in Spain as follows: —The insurgents have troops from Morocco, Seville and Cadiz; garrisons from Pamplona, Burgos, Lerira, Vittoria and Valladolid; irregulars from Navarre and the Spanish Basques; and the Fascist militia units. The Government has certain ships, mostly without officers, the Red militia, a few regulars, no artillery and the Air Force. The rebels maintain control of the naval base of Ferrol —where the cruiser Almirante Cervera surrendered to them —also Corunna. In the north-east, order seems to be struggling from chaos in favour of the Government. Although violence has emded at Barcelona, the city is a shambles, with 3000 killed and 8000 wounded. West and central Spain are still rebel strongholds. Rebels at Salamanca arrested the Red leader La Passionaria ("The Passion Flower"), famed all over the country for her beauty and her eloquence, which largely contributed to the Leftists' return to power. She was haranguing a mob from a wine barrel. Insurrectionaries in the south retain Malaga. The Balearic Islands are still disturbed.