BOMBING CONTEST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19240, 4 February 1937, Page 5

BOMBING CONTEST

SPANISH PLANES

BRITISH SHIP'S ESCAPE

AN ADMIRALTY PROTEST DEFENCE OF MADRID CHANGE IN COMMAND (Elec. Tot. Copyright—United Tress Assn.) (Reed. Feb. 4, noon.) LONDON, Feb. 3. The captain has reported to tire Admiralty that a Spanish plane dropped three bombs near the battleship Royal Oak when off Cartagena yesterday Britain is expected to lodge a protest.

A further report is awaited, because it is not stated whether it was an in surgent or a Government plane. It is reported at Gibraltar that the plane belonged to the insurgents.

A Madrid message states that the incident apparently occurred in the course of great Government and rebel activity on the south coast of Spain. A Government plane bombed the rebel cruiser Canarias and later scored numerous hits on a concentration of rebel motor lorries at Marbella.

Rebel seaplanes attempted to bomb the Spanish merchantman Delfin which was aground following a submarine attack. Government planes drove them off. Rebel cruisers bombarded the coast near Malaga and returned to Algeciras accompanied by the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee.

A fresh contingent of Italians is believed to have landed at Cadiz.

General Kleber has resigned from tlie command of the International Brigade owing to political differences with the Spanish Government.

According to a fellow officer, however, he was forced to resign because he ‘‘boasted too much about the brigade saving Madrid.”

General Kleber declined the command of the Malaga sector and is reported to be anxious to return to Moscow.

A German, Commandant Hans, has now taken over the command of the brigade.