HEROIC RESISTANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1939, Page 5

HEROIC RESISTANCE

SPANISH REBEL ADVANCE SLOWED DOWN

BRAVE DEEDS BY LOYALIST

SOLDIERS.

TERRORISM IN TARRAGONA

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright LONDON. January 18.

Fighting a desperate rearguard action, the Republicans have temporarily slowed down General Franco’s advance on Barcelona and claim that they are holding their ground all along the new line. The city itself has been cheered by news of heroic deeds at the front. A soldier whose name is unknown defended a hill alone with a machinegun against the repeated attacks of two companies and heavy artillery fire for seven hours, when a trench mortar shell killed him.

Two other soldiers, capturing an enemy tank, occupied it and. operating the guns, drove off other tanks. Nationalist warplanes continue their pitiless machine-gunning of troop convoys and roads packed with refugees. It is claimed that the rebels are continuing their advance, despite fog and bad weather.

The Barcelona correspondent of the "Daily Herald” states that three flags fly from the. Town Hall of the re-cently-captured city of Tarragona — General Franco’s red and gold standard, the Italian legionary colours, and the swastika—while within there sits a court-martial' disposing of persons suspected of hostilities.

Nineteen men and three women have already been shot, including the town clerk, aged 70, a life-long Republican.