SPANISH WAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22941, 20 January 1938, Page 11

SPANISH WAR

COUNTER-ATTACK REBELS AT TERUEL COMPARISON OF FORCES LOYALISTS' IMPROVEMENT

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received January 10. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 18

A message from Barcelona states, that the insurgents launched a furious counter-attack on Teruel and. claim the capture of two important hills and hundreds of prisoners. The Government admits that its forces yielded ground. The Teruel correspondent of the Daily Telegraph reveals the fact that there has been an immense increase in the fighting power of the loyalists.

The writer says that for the first time they have shown a really efficient military machine in operation, displaying discipline and manoeuvring capacity which even the most, sanguine observers did not expect six months ago. An outstanding feature is the superiority of the loyalist infantrymen not only in shock troops. . y \ The result of the Teruel conflict indicates that a very fierce fighting campaign can be expected in the spring. The result will depend upon the infantrymen.

General Franco found that the tooth of Teruel (Muela) broke his line, but his infantry failed him because he used numbers of half-trained soldiers who were strange to the state of affairs. Humanitarianism of Loyalists After 18 months of warfare Significance attaches to the humanitarianism and discipline displayed by the loyalists in taking a town containing 14,000 civilians. Admittedly one priest and four qivilians were shot, but on the other hand 20,000 persons, including soldiers, werei evacuated in orderly fashion. There wasi some small-scale looting, as a result}! of which arrests were made. The correspondent states that General Franco, in attacking, decided to try to repeat his romantic adventure in aid of Alcazar. The apex of the two protecting columns of the loyalists beyond Muela was obviously weak. If the Government had brought up heavy batteries and set 1000 sappers to work tha buildings defended by the rebels could soon hare been made untenable, but the death roll would have been terrible. Efficiency o! Government Army

The chief interest does not lie with Teruel, which is a mass of ruins, con? tinues the correspondent, but with the strategy of the contending forces. The two outstanding leaders of the loyalists are General Vicente Rojo, Commander-in-Chief, who directed the Teruel operation, and Lieutenant-Colonel Enrique Lister, who cut the rebels' communications and later parried/ their violent attempt to relieve the town. Lieutenant-Colonel Lister commands 14,000 shock troops intensively trained in the art of war, who improve immeasurably every month. More will be heard of him.

The Minister of Defence, Senor Indalecio Prieto, and his Chief of Staff, have competently organised the loyalist army> and have secured adequate petrol and food supplies. The Government's army is under-officered but by the end, of the summer should be a first-rate. fighting force. General Franco's army,, on the otherj hand, has little improved since the outbreak of the struggle and unless he can produce better infantry than at Teruel his prospects are not bright. ■ -

VALENCIA AIR RAID t- • f INNOCENT VICTIMS (Received January 19. 11.45 p.m.) Times Cable LONDON. Jan. 10 The Barcelona correspondent of " the Times says three insurgent aeroplanes were engaged in bombing a Valencia crowd who were bidding farewell to soldiers leaving for the front. Tea people were killed and 30 wounded. All were civilians and most of thela women; and children.