ASSAULT ON TORTOSA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 April 1938, Page 7

ASSAULT ON TORTOSA

CRITICAL STAGE OF SPANISH CONFLICT

Italian Troops Taking Prominent Part

SUBURBS OF TOWN OCCUPIED

By Telegraph—Press Association. —Copyright.

FURIOUS BATTLE

BLAZE OF ARTILLERY FIRE

DEFENDERS DRIVEN ACROSS EBRO.

HEAVY CAPTURES CLAIMED BY REBELS.

LONDON, April 21. The special correspondent of “The Times” at Burgos reports that Italian legionaries are taking a prominent part in General Franco’s three-sided advance to Tortosa, including the occupation of Jesus and Christ, two of Tortosa's suburbs on the right bank of the Ebro. From this spot they are machinegunning the streets of the city.

The Italians took more than 2500 prisoners.

The correspondent says that a furious battle is raging at Tortosa, which is blazing under'artillery fire. The republicans, despite desperate resistance, were unable to hold the nationalists on the right bank of the Ebro, but established defences on the left bank, abandoning much material. Nationalists surrounded 20,000 re-

publicans in the mountains south-west of the Ebro, whom cavalrymen are rounding up. The Barcelona correspondent of “The Times” says that the republicans defending Catalonia have established a strong line behind the Ebro and still hold the bridge-heads at Seros, Lerida, and Balaguer. The republicans counter-attacked and stopped the insurgents’ advance. The British Consul-General has appealed to the British colony of 280 in Catalonia to pack up and leave by April 22.

OFFICER’S REPORT

EIGHTY THOUSAND ITALIANS ON ONE SCECTOR. FIGHTING MORALE NOT STRONG. (Rccd This Day, 9.55 p.m.) BARCELONA, April 21. Lieutenant-Colonel Lister, a member of the International Brigade said: “On my section of the Aragon front, there are four Italian divisions, totalling 80,000 men, of whom the known dead in the recent advance number 25,000. The Italians advance only after murderous aerial and artillery bombardments. Their fighting morale does not seem strong.”