LOYALISTS’ LACK OF MUNITIONS

Southland Times, Issue 23345, 1 November 1937, Page 7

LOYALISTS’ LACK OF MUNITIONS

LOSSES ASCRIBED TO NON-INTERVENTION “STRUGGLE AGAINST THREE AND A-HALF NATIONS” (United Press Assn. —Telegraph Copyright) (Received October 31, 6.30 p.m.) VALENCIA, October 30. The Spanish Minister of War (Senor Indalecio Prieto) presented to the Government a long report on the campaign in North Spain, the loss of which he ascribes to non-intervention. Senor Prieto says the north was lost with the fall of Irun, the result of a complete exhaustion of munitions. Although large supplies were waiting a few hundred yards across the border the French authorities, carrying out non-intervention, refused to allow them to proceed to Irun. Otherwise the war would have been over in 1936. “Similarly, lack of munitions accounted for the fall of San Sebastian. The attackers were liberally supplied with planes, tanks and machine-guns from Italy and Germany. “Later, when the Basque country was attacked, Italy and Germany poured in tremendous quantities _of men and material, while the tragic farce of nonintervention was played on in London. The Basques were unable without planes to oppose the German Junkers, which flew at night across France and destroyed Basque towns. The Government was so desperate that it decided to send fighting planes across 250 miles of enemy territory. Those which strayed from their course and made forced landings in France, were subject to rigorous non-intervention and never returned to us. As it was impossible to aid the Basques effectively and to supply them with munitions, Bilbao fell, and later Santander. “Asturias was the scene of the greatest acts of heroism in the war. The Asturians will probably carry on guerilla warfare in the mountains. “We are struggling against three, and a-half nations.”

BASQUES EXECUTED IN THOUSANDS FRANCO RUTHLESS AFTER NORTHERN VICTORY LONDON, October 29. Thousands of Basque civilians have been executed. . General Franco has occupied the north of Spain according to the London delegate of the Basque Government, Don Jose de Liasa. In a statement issued through the Spanish Embassy he said that those executed include 600 Government and army officers, also 27 women refugees recently repatriated from France. Thirty thousand men and women non-combatants have been imprisoned without trial, and 25,000 Basque soldiers surrendered in the last stages on condition that civilians were not molested and soldiers were not forced to fight for General Franco. These conditions had not been kept. Over 2000 Basque priests nad been banished or imprisoned, and a number was believed to have been executed.