Evening star., 1936-10-25
Fascist Flyers Report No
Opposition During Raid.
City's Anti.Aircraft Guns
Manned Constantly.
THREE ARMIES PUSH
ADVANCE ON CAPITAL
Loyalists Press Quarter of Million
Persons Into Service as Hour of
Decisive Battle With Besieging
Enemy Nears-Giant Counter
Movement Mapped.
BACKGROUND

The bloody struggle bettDeen
fdScism and communism for con-
troll OF Spain moues nearer and
nearer to Madrid as insurgent forces
approach within approximately 10
miles OF capital and defenders
mobilize all able bodied persons Ito
fight to the death"
Meanwhile, Russia, uhich has &C.
cused Portugal, Germany and Italy
of aiding Fascist rebels, threatens
to abandon non-interUention pact
and come into the open trith help
for Madrid government.
BY the Associated Press.
ON MADRID BATTLE FRONTS,
October pa score of Fascist war
planes tonight bombed the suburbs OF
Madrid.
The exuberant pilots, on landing at
their bases, said the Getafe and
Cuatro Vientos airports, near Madrid,
apparently had been abandoned.
No government planes took the air
against them, the insurgent airmen
said, and from this they deduced that
the government aviators had revolt
ed, or that all government planes
were being used to convoy fleeing OF.
ficials out of Madrid.
Meanwhile, the besieged and terri.
fed citizens of Madrid prepared to
combat death from the air.
Anti-aircraft guns we're manned in
24-hour shifts, and cellars we're cleared
as an anxious populace scanned the
skies.
The Madrid newspapers issued
warnings, the Claridad, in bold type,
asserted IAN onslaught on Madrid Is
| imminent"
Fascist war planes-the dread
"blackbirds of death'-might soon at.
tempt to bomb Madrid into submis-
sion If surrender offers continued to
be spurned by hte city's defenders, it
was feared.
Insurgents Captured Town.
The insurgents captured Zarzalejo,
just miles from their objective.
El Escorial 80 miles west Of Madrid.
A dispatch from Lisbon today re-
ported that an insurgent aviator,
speaking for his comrades, had said:
II hope that we shall not be forced
| to bomb Madrid. but if surrender Is
refused after an ultimatum which
will be sent when El Escorial is cap
tured, We will be compelled to blow
the beautiful city to bits"
The three-pronged insurgent adj
vance on Madrid tonight was pushed
forward appreciably.
One column was nearing Mostoles,
| 10 miles southwest of Madrid; an
other was at Illescas, 13 miles south
of the capital. while the third was
driving on FL Escorial.
Final Assault Planned.
With El Escorial taken, the in.
surgent high command said. the at
tack could be webbed together by
cavalry units. and the final assault
on Madrid's gates begun.
There was no confirmation of ra.
dio reports that the insurgents all
ready had occupied Mostoles, virtually
q suburb of the capital.
AS the frightened inhabitants OF
Madrid prepared to defend the city,
the government ordered mobilization
of all Republican party members be-
tween the ages of 20 and IS.
Laborers, organized into platoons.
attempted to raise the spirits of the
people by parading with picks and
shovels.
"All stand together-we choose
death before slavery" they cried.
The Fascist attempt to strike fear
into the city's residents through air
| (See SPAIN, Page A-4)