Posted on 03/30/2008 6:59:00 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Their other drive down the Huesca road, however made progress. The Loyalists had to abandon Barbastro, xxx the Insurgents crossed the xxx River at two points, between xxx and Zaidin and between xxx and El Grado.
[Insurgent officers pointed out that the advance on Lerida was necessarily slowed down to organize communications, bring up munitions and supplies and to fortify captured heights protecting their flanks, The Associated Press reported.]
Lerida has been saved for the time being. There is now a well-established line along good positions, and new troops and material have been rushed up.
From that viewpoint the situation has changed completely for the good as far as the Loyalists are concerned.
At the same time the Insurgents again attacked with extraordinary intensity in the Caspe [central] sector. They succeeded in pushing the Loyalists back five or six miles to the neighborhood of Maella.
In the aerial combats today, it is reported, no fewer than five Messerschmidt [German-built] planes were shot down, as well as a Junkers [also German] bomber.
The Loyalists, on their part, launched a surprise offensive in the Valdecuenca sector, about fifteen miles southwest of Teruel. They took several positions and a few towns. This is presumably merely a diversion.
In the Lerida sector the Insurgents have Fraga and the heights above it but have been unable to advance for two days. During that time the Loyalists have rushed fresh, experienced troops and material into that dangerous breach.
This correspondent is able, from his own observations, to deny claims made over the radio from Salamanca [Insurgent military headquarters] last night that the Insurgents had reached Lerida or its suburbs.
As the writer drove up to the Loyalist general headquarters it was already possible to see an extraordinary difference in the situation. The movement was toward and not away from the front. It was going full blast. Order had been re-established. Troops falling back had been rallied in various towns behind Lerida and were being reformed into new battalions to be sent back to the lines. Strong guards patrolled all along the road.
At headquarters it was explained that the Loyalist line had been re-established and was holding well. I went ahead to verify this for myself.
Lerida seemed almost like a new town, despite the fact that it had been heavily bombed again this morning. As my British companion and I drove up about thirty Government pursuit planes flew over, headed for the Insurgent lines, doubtless to strafe their enemy.
There was animation as well as order in Lerida. Crossing the bridge into the city, we saw the well-known Spanish commander of a crack division, which showed which way the wind was blowing.
We continued through the city and out along the Lerida-Saragossa road. Here again all evidence was favorable. The road had been well cleaned up ant there were men and guns everywhere.
In Alcarraz, where some farmers still tended sheep, we came upon a mounted patrol, who directed us to the command post outside the town. There a Spanish major pointed out various positions for us, and we could see not only that they were reasonably strong but also that they coincided exactly with what had been told to us at headquarters.
All was quiet at the time, but the major told us it had been a busy day with much aerial activity on the part of the Insurgents and heavy artillery fire. He, like all officers with whom the writer has talked in recent weeks, spoke with resigned admiration of the Insurgents’ big concentration of quick–firing artillery and planes.
Like all good experienced officers, he made no predictions. He simply said Government troops had excellent positions and were digging in fast, and he thought they could hold these positions.
The Loyalist side continues to lose ground, despite the optimistic tone of this article.
Thank you for this post.
Proving that the New York Times has been a loyal foot-soldier of the left for a long, long time.
I have long been interested in the Spanish Civil War. Franco was no saint, but he was truly fighting evil incarnate.
ahhh yes..how do you pick sides in a battle of evil vs evil?
I note the NY Times writer identifies the insurgents’ planes as Messerschmidts and Junkers, but does not tell us the make of loyalist planes.
Might those have been Soviet made & supplied?
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