Evening star., 1936-11-11
Capital Defenders, Braced
by 1000 CataIans, Hold
Off Offensive From West
in Heavy Fighting.
RAGING FIRE IN CAPITAL
FINALLY CONTROLLED
Five Batteries Of Insurgents
Open Up on Loyalists-City Re.
lies on Infantry as Gunners Are
Silenced by Enemies-Heaviest
Battle Since World War.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
When soldiers in Spanish Moroc-
CO rebelled against the Madrid So
ctalist Communist regime last July,
the reuolt quickly spread to the
mainland. Two inSurgent armies
tDere organized quickly and most OF
the regular Spanish Army Joined
the rebels, or Fascists. The gouern-
ment, berett of trained leaders and
men, threw citizens army into
the field. This army has been
routed time and time again by Gen.
Francois FascistS, Uho hate been
making their 1Udy to Madrid sys-
tentdtically. From the south, east
and West came troops, outlining a
ring OF steel that nop grips Madrid.
By the Associated Press.
MADRID, November 11.-Fascist
attackers of Madrid began a mass as
sault from the south late today.
1t came after the defenders of the
capital, braced by 1000 Catalan shock
troops. had held new offensive from
the west in an intensive engagement
and. had controlled 40-block fire
within the city.
A terrific battle was raging in the
southern outskirts of Madrid, follow
ing a heavy shelling of the city.
Observers atop high buildings saw
the Fascists bring up reserves from the
rear, then open a new attack on the
government front lines.
Five Batteries Open Up.
Five batteries, placed in the shelter
OF rises near Villaverde and Cara
banchel, opened up on the defenders.
One shell reached the residential
area near the Segovia Bridge and fired
an apartment building. Another mar
rowly missed the Madrid Gas Works.
Detachments Of weary militia were
called out of their Madrid barracks to
meet the fresh assault.
Gen. Jose Miaja, defense chieftain,
declared many government batteries
had been silenced by the insurgent
aerial bombardment of yesterday and
that Madrid now was forced to rely
principally on her infantry forces to
resist fresh offensives.
The insurgents had advanced slight
ly from Villaverde by midafternoon,
although the government, pressing
from the east and south in a hanking
movement which struck in the vicinity
of Aranjuez, well behind the Fascist
front lines, was menacing the insur-
gent communications line.
Fighting Planes Destroyed.
1t was announced government planes
In bombardment of Avila Airport had
destroyed IL bombers and 10 pursuit
planes housed in an improvised in
surgent hangar.
From high vantage points within
the besieged city observers saw most
OF the activity concentrated below
Madrid.
Occasionally one of the bigger Fasc-
ist pieces sent shell screaming into
the Rosales district, in the western
end of the capital, where the fire
started yesterday, still sent slow COL
umns of smoke into the air.
Insurgent Trenches in View.
To the south the insurgent trenches
Just north of Villaverde could be seen
plainly.
Three batteries in this sector fired
necessarily throughout the morning,
most of the shells crashing into the
cluster of tenements on the south
fringe of the city.
To rl;or In, tbo dav tho thousands of
Catalan reinforcements filled Madrid's
battered Notifications. Machine guns
sprayed death across the shallow Man
zanares River at Moors, insurgent
ICoo SPAIN poOe AL