BOMBED FROM AIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23516, 2 June 1938, Page 11

BOMBED FROM AIR

A SPANISH TOWN HEAVY DEATH ROLL MANY WOMEN AND CHILDREN MARKET SQUARE A SHAMBLES I (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph -Copyright i BARCELONA, May 31. More than 500 persons, mostly women and children, were killed when insurgent aircraft dropped bombs on the crowded market square in Gran oilers. Forty bombs were dropped by five'planes. One of the missiles exploded in the vicinity of a food queue in the town, which is crowded with refugees. All the ghastliness of Guernica was reproduced in this market town, with a single main street, in which 36 houses were wrecked. The street is choked with debris, from which troops and workmen are digging out the bodies. The first bomb dug a hole in the busy market square and created a shambles among the queues of customers. Another split a threestoried store from top to bottom. The raiders, after inflicting the maximum possible damage, machinegunned the fleeing citizens, and then sped to Majorca with 33 loyalists’ planes ineffectually pursuing them. The death roll includes many children, who were killed when a bomb struck a school. The entire ambulance resources were rushed 20 miles to Granollers. ATTACK ON HARBOUR INSURGENT SHIPS SUNK BARCELONA, June 1., (Received June 1, at 10 p.m.) Government planes bombed Palma Harbour, setting fire to three insurgent ships. The insurgents claim that they averaged a further five-mile advance between Teruel and the shore. BRITISH SHIP SUNK BOMBED BY INSURGENTS VALENCIA. May 31. Insurgents bombed and sank the British ship The vessel was being repaired when it was sunk. The crew was saved. The Penthames was previously bombed on May 30, the cook being wounded. GERMAN AERODROMES CONSTRUCTION IN SPAIN REPORT OF NEW NAVAL BASE LONDON, May 25. German experts are alleged to be constructing, in north-weastern insurgent Spain, military aerodromes and naval bases, which may be a potential menace to France and Britain. A statement, giving details of the alleged works, was presented to the Spanish Embassy in London by a delegation from the conquered Basques. Fully-equipped aerodromes, the delegation declared, are being constructed under the supervision of German technicians in the Basque country, as well as along hundreds of miles of the present war fronts. Many of ihem are within easy striking distance of France. German experts, it was stated, are also preparing a naval base at Pasajes, on the Biscay coast, 17 miles from the French border, only 350 miles from Brest, and 542 from Portsmouth. The statement named 18 towns and villages where Germans are declared to be active in the construction of aerodromes. It made particular mention of an elaborate system of underground hangars at Vittoria, 30 miles south and inland from Bilbao, and 65 miles south-west of the French frontier.

WITHDRAWAL OF VOLUNTEERS FINANCING THE SCHEME ATTITUDE OF THE SOVIET (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, May 31. The Chairman’s Sub-committee of the Non-intervention Committee met to-day and, received a detailed statement of the cost of the scheme for the evacuation of foreign volunteers in Spain. After Lord Plymouth (chairman) intimated that Britain was prepared to participate in providing the necessary funds on condition that the other Governments also participated, the representatives agreed to refer to their Governments the documents concerned. The Soviet representative, however, after restating the attitude of his Government to the withdrawal proposals, said the Soviet would be prepared to consider contributing in common with the other Governments to the cost of establishing and maintaining the commissions which are to go to Spain to ascertain the number of foreign volunteers and to supervise their withdrawal, but that the Soviet would not contribute to that part of the cost of the scheme which included expenditure on the transport of volunteers, since it was maintained that there were no Russian volunteers. It is understood that the estimated cost of the evacuation scheme is between £1,000.000 and £1.500.000, which includes the work of the commissions and expenditure on bringing together volunteers, maintaining them in camps, and transporting them to ports for evacuation to their own countries. It is contemplated that this cost should be borne in equal shares by the five non-inter-vention Powers represented on the Chairman’s Sub-committee. The sub-committee will meet again on Thursday. In addition to the sum of £1,500,000 mentioned, it is estimated that £750,000 will be expended in transporting auxiliaries to their own countries.