Posted on 03/15/2008 7:59:55 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
The finest units of the Loyalist Army retained their cohesion, according to reports from the front, but as separate units. In retreating they have suffered no heavy casualties, for one feature of this battle has been lack of mass contact between the opposing forces, all the work being done by material superiority. Therefore, there is still a chance that a shortened Loyalist line may be established where the Insurgents can be held. What the government army needs most now is a breathing spell.
While the fate of Spain hangs in the balance at the front, Barcelona and apparently all other cities in Loyalist territory remain calm, one might almost say indifferent, judging from outward appearances. War communiqués, although succinct, have been frank in admitting great losses are being incurred. The public, therefore, must realize how critical the situation is.
This correspondent was in Alcaniz yesterday afternoon. Those Insurgent forces mentioned in yesterday’s dispatch as going down the left flank brigade’s position were advancing to Alcorisa, whence they made a short drive up the main highway toward Alcaniz. Alcorisa, incidentally, was almost a second home to the Americans in the government army. For months they used it for a supply and training base.
[Capture of almost the entire 143d Division, including these Americans, was announced by the Insurgents, according to The Canadian Press.]
I talked with some persons who had been in Alcaniz as late as 8:30 this morning, but they had made a hasty exit as Insurgent tanks entered the town by the bridge over the Guadalupe River., firing with machine guns. Alcaniz was not being defended at that time.
Tonight’s communiqué merely says, “The enemy today arrived at Alcaniz and Calanda. The former was occupied by an Italian motorized column.”
There is a great deal about the air forces, however. It is asserted that in an air combat over Alcaniz at 8:30 this morning six Fiats were shot down and that two others were downed at 1:30 P. M. near Alcorisa. The Loyalists reportedly lost no planes.
Towns along the coast were severely bombed today, including xxx, Reus, Tortosa and xxx.
The most important communiqué xxx a purportedly German aerial contingent as working for Generalissimo Francisco Franco in this xxx. It is affirmed there are xxx two groups of four squadrons of Heinkel 111 large bombers. One of these supposedly arrived in xxx only two weeks ago after xxx high over France. Secondly, xxx stated, there are two groups of xxx squadrons of Messerschmidt 109 pursuit planes and two squadrons of Heinkel 51’s. Thirdly xxx is listed a reconnaissance group of two squadrons of DO 17’s, formed of twenty-two planes, aided by a Heinkel 45 patrol. Fourthly xxx listed anti-aircraft batteries and xxx a totally German transmisxxx company.
The commanders’ names are given as follows: Chief of air force, General xxx Veidt; chief of combat planes, Commander Neudorfer; chief of pursuit planes, Commander Herxxx; chief of first squadron, Commander Scholtz; chief of second squadron, Commander Schroxxx; chief of third squadron, Commander Fischer, and chief of fourth squadron, Commander Zeilberg.
All officers and soldiers of the xxx units belong to the German army, the communiqué concludes. By giving out this statement, the Ministry of National Defense undoubtedly is seeking to emphasize a xxxinal point of the entire civil war and its explanation of what is xxx; that the Republican government could never hope to defeat Hitler, Mussolini and Franco put together.
Covered with the powdery white dust that the wind sweeps in thick clouds across treeless Aragon - only vineyards and occasional olive groves relieve the bleak gray and brown monotony of the landscape in the Eastern half of this large province - the Insurgent center column, commanded by General Garcia Valino, moved today twelve miles east of Andorra to take the village of Calanda and then followed one of the main highways northward into Alcaniz. These troops found the entire civil population waiting to receive them with enthusiastic cheers.
Several hundred militiamen were waiting to surrender, but the majority of the government’s forces were said to have retreated thirty miles eastward, as far as Gandesa. Alcaniz is only forty-five miles from the Mediterranean coast, and apparently the government forces have not yet established a fortified line between that city and Gandesa.
The Insurgent left wing, under General Juan Yague, was reported to have pushed eighteen miles east of Escatron today to capture Caspe, although this was not confirmed in tonight’s communiqué from Salamanca. Caspe is on the southern bank of the Ebro, about twenty miles north of Alcaniz.
With the latest gains the Insurgents have arrived considerably closer to the coast than possession of Teruel brings them, but they are within a short distance of Catalonia’s provincial boundary.
BARCELONA, March 14 (AP). – Insurgent planes today bombed and sank the Spanish Government merchant ship Isla de Menorca off Tarragona, fifty miles southwest of here. There was no word of the fate of the crew of the 1,003-ton freighter.
SARAGOSSA, Spain, March 14 (Canadian Press). – Almost the entire 143d Division of the Spanish Government Army, composed of Canadian, British, American and Spanish battalions, was captured during week-end fighting, Insurgent headquarters for Eastern Spain announced today.
Insurgents here said most of the soldiers were taken prisoner when trapped near Hijar.
The way the newspaper was folded for the microfiche photography hid one side of the column part way through this story. Where I could not figure out what the actual text was is indicated with xxx.
Real Time + 70 Years ping.
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Interesting to see Herbert L. Matthews spreading left wing propaganda in the NY Slimes 20 years before he did the same for Fidel ‘I got my job through the NY Times’ Castro.
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/books/matthews/matthews011859.pdf
Was Matthews paid by the Times or Castro? He sounds like the official publicist of the revolution.
And unlike some of Germany's other allies, the Spaniards fought well, and when the war turned against Germany, they retired in good order. I don't remember when exactly they were withdrawn from the front, or the circumstances.
But here's the curious point: what Hitler truly needed from Franco was permission for German troops to occupy Gibraltar, and thus seal off the Mediterranean from the Brits. This would have lead to Rommel's certain victory in North Africa, thus German access to Middle East oil fields, etc., etc.
That's why some have argued that Hitler's ally Franco was a major contributor to Germany's loss.
Others say, no, the real problem was that Hitler just couldn't see the strategic importance of Gibraltar, and therefore didn't pressure Franco hard enough.
Take your pick.
bump for later
Sorry, didn’t intend to confuse things...
Of course, Spain was officially neutral in W.W.II, and no doubt proved useful to both sides. For example, some Jews escaping the Nazi empire found safety in Spain.
And I wonder if certain critical war materials didn’t find their way to Germany through Spain.
So the issue for Hitler and Franco was whether to compromise Spain’s official neutrality by allowing German troops to transit Spain to attack Gibraltar?
The decision was “no.” Many since have questioned why, and argued that was a huge blunder on Hitler’s part.
Hitler just couldn't see the strategic importance of Gibraltar, and therefore didn't pressure Franco hard enough.That would be my guess. :')
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