LULL IN FIGHTING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22583, 23 November 1936, Page 9

LULL IN FIGHTING

HEAVY FALL OF SNOW MADRID'S TERRIBLE PLIGHT DESTRUCTIVE AIR RAIDS By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received November 22, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. '2l Despatches from Spain state that a violent storm has brought aerial warfare to a standstill and has hampered general operations. Twenty inches of snow have fallen, thus slowing down the fighting. The position appears at the moment to have reached a stalemate. There has been no vital change for six days. Earlier messages stated that only when dawn broke yesterday could the havoc of Thursday's air raids on Madrid bo assessed. Tram lines have been torn up and there are gaping holes in .the city's Piccadilly Circus. During the bombing thousands of people fled to cellars, in one of which, in the Atocha area, 50 were entombed. It is believed that 150 have been buried in the ruins of houses. Forty women and children were killed or wounded while standing in a food queue. Two crowded trains were blown to fragments. Thousands of residents, cold and without food, are now huddled in cellars. The extent of the food shortage is indicated by many cafes displaying, on notice-hoards: "No More Food." The Communist leaders are now planning to evacuate the civilian population. Prince Alfonso of Bourbon, a relative of ex-King Alfonso, was killed when a rebel aeroplane crashed. Jt is officially announced from Alicante, that Senor Jose Primo de Rivera, son of the late dictator of Spain and a rebel leader, was executed by a firing squad. CONFLICTING CLAIMS REBELS' ALLEGATION RUSSIANS DEFEND MADRID (Received November 22, 7.5 p.m.) MADRID, Nov. 21 The insurgents claim to have driven back the militia and captured the model prison iu Madrid. Although battered by General Franco's guns, this building was still a formidable obstacle defended by thousands of men armed with machine-guns and hand-grenades. It fell after the attackers had rushed a labyrinth of barricades amid streets piled with dead. The rebels claim also to have penetrated the Paseo do Rosales, Princeza and St. Vincent Streets and to have secured the Montana barracks. A rebel broadcast alleges that the majority of the defenders of Madrid are Russians. On the other hand the Government declares that in spite of icy rain which fell all day the situation has improved and the militia has advanced its lines everywhere and consolidated its positions on the Casa de Velasquez, where it stemmed machine-gun lire.