The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-09-22

Ouismondon on to Santa Cruz Del Retamar, another four miles along the road. From Maqueda the rebels were expected to attack in two directions-toward Santa Cruz and toward Toledo.
 Situation at Present
 The present position is this: Ma uueda, Santa Cruz and the village of Torrijos for a triangle. The base is Maqueda and Santa Cruz 8 miles apart. Roads from both towns converge at Torrijos, ten miles to the southeast, at the apex of the triangle. From Torrijos a single main road leads on IS miles to Toledo.
 It was indicated that the loyalists would form their main defense line based on Santa Cruz and the Ma drid road, then running roughly southeward through or east of Tor rijos to the river Tagus, which runs westward from Toledo. In recogni- ton of e desperate situation, the loyalist government today combined the Maqueda and Toledo defenses under Gen. Juan ASensio, comman- der in chief in central Spain. He will direct the defense up to Toledo. The siege of the Alcazar will be contin- ued under Maj. Jose Torres.
 Rebel Drive Goes On
 There has been no indication that the rebel drive can be stopped ex- cept the continued tone of conf1- dence in Madrid and the fact that the main body of loyalist militia men dispatched to the front have not been in action-have never been in action in their lives, most of them, and hardly know how tc fire their rifles. But United Press Madrid reports say that thousands of these men continue to go south. ward, chanting as they march the monotonous, they shall not pass. Government sources say that this battle is their Verdun. The alter. native to a French victory at Yer dun was a defeat so disastrous that it might have turned the scale o1 the World war.
 Not One Alive
 A London Daily Mail correspond. ent who saw the rebels take Ma queda commented that there wa: but one living person in it when the rebels arrived. He commented alsc that this was the first time tht rebels had found a town so nearly completely deserted. Taken with tht same comment by 8 United Press correspondent with the loyalists that towns in the path of the ad. vance are being deserted, the new. might indicate increasing fear by the population of the rebels-anc consequently indication that tht rebels are in country in which tht population is hostile. Rebel dis. patches from all sources, official anc uuofdcial, indicate the belief that the next big fight will be for Tor. rtjos, between the Maqueda-Sants Cruz line and Toledo.
 Planes Near Capital
 A dispatch from rebel headquar. tcrs at Caceres said that rebel air. planes bombed fugitives on the Ma. qreda- Madrid road, flying as far as ten miles from the capital along the highway. The situation in the Gua- darrama mountains north of Ma drid was quiet except for artillery aIrplane and line-straightening in- fantry action. But rebels are ad. vancing southwestward on Madrid from the Medinacen area and there was little from the loyalist side tt dispute their claims that they vert making progress, if slowly.
 Last Town Gone
 The extent of the fighting, which now is going on all over Spain iron north to south and east to west ir dozens of places, was indicated by g rebel claim that Jerez De Los Cab. alleroS in Badajoz province was cap. tured-the last town on the Portu. guese frontier, it was commented held by the loyalists. There has beer little news from Badajoz since tht town of that name was taken by tht rebels but loyalists still are operating there in small groups.
 Rebels and loyalists are operating in small columns all over the Gran. ada-M -Malag- Cordoza area in the fal south. Rebel claims to victories havt sounded more convincing in recen days.
 Tn the Huesca area in the north. est the rebels are definitely on { strong offensive, where they were thu defenders.