Evening star., 1936-10-07
Drive Spearhead and Begin
Pinching Off 50-MiIe Sec.
tor Around Capital.
DEFENSES BOMBARDED
BY GUNS AND PLANES
Fight Through Three Lines Of
Trenches in Capture of
Santa Cruze.
BACKGROUND

oP0Hfofk StNts O1s, OfSeNt f<0S
ragged bitterly since Dictory OF Left
ist coalition In last February's elec-
tion, continues to center in the
Madrid Toledo sector.
Gen. Francisco Franco, rebel
commander, yesterday announced
that 10000 trained troops Were
marshaling for final decisipe push
on the capital. Meanwhile he has
reorgGnised his army and Is pre-
pairing to mop up the entire
country.
tCopyright. 1885. by the Associated Press.)
BURGOS, Spain, October Under
cover of withering artillery barrage,
insurgent divisions on the snakelike
western front hammered at Madrid
today in the final, decisive" attack on
the capital.
With a spearhead driven to within
20 miles of the city on the southwest
ern front, Gen. Francisco Frances
regulars began pinching OF 50-mile
sector from Navalperal de Pinares,
northwest of Madrid, to Torrejon, 16
miles southwest of the capital on the
Toledo highroad.
In rapid succession a column swept
the Santa Cruz del Retamar sector,
insurgent headquarters said, occupying
the strategic towns of Santa Cruz,
Huecas, Fuensahda and Portillo.
rk1 hoft a c
fought fercely through three lines of
trenches, the Fascist attackers march
ing into the village after nightfall,
while the government forces retreated
in disorder to the northeast.
Three insurgent columns participated
in the advance, with the support of
artillery batteries and fighting and
bombing planes.
The first, which Travelled approx
mately IA miles and fought three bat
ties in one day, started from the
Guadarrama River Bridge over the
Torrijos Toledo road and occupied
Huecas.
The second began its march at Val
Desanto Domingo and drove into
Fuensalida and Portillo.
The third started from Maqueda.
passed through and occupied Quis-
monde and captured Santa Cruz.
The insurgent high command also
announced the capture of Berriatua. a
village in the Bilbao sector southwest
of the coastal town Of Ondarroa.
The driving attack in the Santa
Cruz sector drew a wide procession of
Fascist Legionnaires and regulars over
the rolling territory under protection
of an artillery barrage.
Planes Bomb Positions.
As the advance progressed. insurgent
bombing planes blasted government
positions with terrific damage. Only
single government plane ventured
out to oppose the bombardment
North of Santa Cruz, in the Avila
sector of the western front. the in
surgents pushed against San Martin
de Valdeiglesias, and from hills flank
ing government troops poured heavy
artillery fire on the Socialist defenders.
(The Madrid government acknowl-
edged the heavy shellfire had made
untenable the highway from Naval
peral to Cebreros, and had destroyed
lateral communications parallel to the
battlefront.)
Gen. Franco began swinging the
flanks of the northern and southern
insurgent armies together west Of
Madrid for the attack on the capital.
The victory at Santa Cruz straight
ened out the first kink in the lines
between the Toledo and Talavera
highways from Madrid at the south
end of the front.
Rains Speed Offensive.
The start Of the Autumn rains,
ushered in with two-day chill down.
pour in the mountains, apparently
hastened efforts of the Fascists to
push the semi-circular front into q
spearhead at Naval-Carnero, Just 20
miles southwest of Madrid.
The insurgent forces are now hold
ing a battle front that extends along
an arc from the northern end resting
on Alcolea Del Pinar, IS miles north
east of Madrid and just east of
Siguenza; the Guadarrama Mountains
north Of Madrid to the city Of
Guadarrama, 81 miles northwest of
the capital on the Valladolid high
road.
From Guadarrama, the line extends
west by slightly south to Navalperal
(See SPAIN, Page A-2.)