IN REBEL HANDS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 188, 26 August 1937, Page 5

IN REBEL HANDS

—Press Assn.-

Santander Falls BASQUE DEFEAT Insurgents Take 150,000 Prisoners TROOPS READY TO ENTER

(Bv Telegraph

-Copyright.)

(Kceeived 26, 9.40 a.m.) HENDAYE, Aug. 25. A t Salamanca radio message states that Spanish insurgent sympathisers have seized the city of Santander, last stronghold of the Basque loyalists, which is now under insurgent control. Advancing troops will enter to-morrow. The Times Bilbao correspondent says the Navarran brigades, under General Solchaga, entered Torrelavega, cutting the main road from Santander westward. They then passed on, taking a secondary road. Thus the entire Eepubliean forces in the Santander Province are Cut off froni tbeir only; line of retreat. The Nationalists are only 11 miles from Santander on the western side^ while the latest advance by the foreign legionaries from the Burgos road leaves them 13 miles from the city on the 30Uthk The flight from Santander has begun. The insurgents claim to bave captured several Government leaders eecapiug by car and to bave taken 150fl000 prisoners and equipment. Sardine boats fiUed with milltiamen and their wives and families are arriving at Bayonne and Aracbon from Santander, which they say 'is untenable owing to the dropping of tons of bomos from the insurgent planes. The Italian Navarran brigades are continuing their lightning advance. A Madrid message says ehells are dropping every few minutes and an intense bombardment is causing heavy damage and many casualties. A comimmique announces that the Catalonian Army in a new offensive cut the communications between Saragos'sa and Huesca, broke through in other places, surrounded the enemy in the Quinto sector and bombarded insurgent railways, aerodromes and concentrations from tho air.