REBEL SUCCESSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23703, 10 January 1939, Page 9

REBEL SUCCESSES

THE CATALAN OFFENSIVE THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS LOYALIST TERRITORY OCCUPIED (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) SARAGOSSA, Jan. 8, The rebels now claim the conquest of 1200 square miles of territory in the Catalan offensive, and the capture of 30.,000 prisoners. They also claim to have advanced in the south to within 55 miles of Barcelona. A message from Burgos states that the rebels are advancing on a 125-mile front into Catalonia. The northern army has established itself beyond Doncell, and the southern army has reached Albarca Villa and Nova Prades, but its progress has been dearly bought. CRITICAL STAGE OF WAR SUCCESSFUL LOYALIST DRIVE LONDON. Jan. 9. (Received Jan. 10, at 0.45 a.m.) “ Whoever keeps up the pace longest will win,” says The Times Hendaye correspondent, summing up the critical stage of the Spanish war of which the focal points at present are: — First, the loyalists surprise offensive on the Extremadura front, by which they are attempting to sever the main rebel communications between Seville and Burgos, or, alternatively, capture the strategic town of Cordoba. Secondly, the rebel thrust on the Catalonian front to Tarragone, menacing the Lerida-Barcelona highway. It appears that the loyalists’ threeday offensive has temporarily been more successful than General Franco’s 12-day drive on Catalonia. The News Chronicle points out that the loyalists are 30 miles from their objectives, which is closer than General Franco is to his objectives. The latest report from the battlefronts reveals that General Franco’s offensive is slackening, probably due to the despatch of reinforcements to Extremadura. CLAIM BY LOYALISTS ADVANCE FROM REMADURA BARCELONA, Jan. 8. The rebels bombed Valencia and Barcelona, the respective casualties being 34 killed (including 10 women and 10 children) and two killed and one wounded. One hundred thousand women belonging to textile industries are replacing men called to the colours. A message from Madrid states that rebel reinforcements failed to stem ( the loyalist advance from Remadura, where thousands of prisoners and much war material were taken. INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE SERVICE FOR THE DEAD LONDON, Jan. 9. (Received Jan. 9, at 7 p.m.) The News Chronicle says;— In order to do honour to boys who won’t come back, numbering 543 out of 2000 who went to Spain with the International Brigade, 412 warweary -men bearing international flags marched into Empress Hall, where an audience of 12,000 stood in silence for‘two minutes in memory of the dead. After the Funeral March was played and the “Last Post” sounded, an accordion band played the song ‘Jarama Valley,’ written to commemorate the longest battle of the war by Alexander Mcßride, of Glasgow, who was subsequently killed.” Father Michael O’Flanagan, who recentlv returned from Barcelona, declared: “If the totalitarian State is hateful, the totalitarian church is more hateful. jStill, the church has often proved an unreliable political leader.”