Evening star., 1936-10-18
FIERCE FIGHTING
RACES AS REBELS
BOMB RAIL LINE
Government Planes Rushed
to Defend Madrid.Va-
Iencia Link.
CAPTURE OF ILLESCAS
CLAIMED BY FASCISTS
Insurgent Thrusts on Capital Re-
sisted in Battles on Wide
Fronts in Southwest.

BACKGROUND
For last severul weeks Spanish
Fascist rebels hate been moUirg
slorly and nlethodicdlly on Madrid,
hoping to hare jail OF city
acknowledged sign OF complete tic
tory. Meanwhile, in the capital it,
self elaborate preparations hare
been made to resist final thrust OF
foe. Gen. Francois rebels hate
taken important cities and rail-
road lines, mendcing food supply
OF government and cutting Of pos
sible duenueS OF retreat. Mean
Dhile, International interest in
Communist Us. Fascist issue in
Spain groUS as neW dlignments
are made on continent
Bv the Associated Press.
ALCODOR, Spain, October II
Fast government pursuit planes
roared out to battle insurgent bomb
ers in the night skies above Castilejo
tonight.
Machine guns spat fame in the
darkness, and a giant -nsul sens
bomber was seen to fall.
The aerial counter attack followed
upon an attempt by Fascist plans to
destroy vital railroad communications
at Castilejo, half way between To-
ledo and Aranjuez.
Immediately, heavy government re-
Inducements were thrown into this
sector in an effort to block the in.
surgent thrust.
Truck loads of troops we're rushed
from Araniuez and Villasequilla to
defend the Madrid Valencia lines
after the insurgents had succeeded
in advancing to Mocejon, about
miles from Castilejo, under a screen
of heavy artillery fire.
Government Claims Strength.
The government commander de-
clared he believed he had sufficient
reserves to halt the Fascist advance.
Severance of the railroad communl-
cation to the Mediterranean coast
would leave the Madrid-Valencia
highway as the only avenue OF es-
cape for hard-pressed government
leaders.
Food supplies from the Mediter-
ranean virtually would be cut on from
Madrid.
Another rebel offensive was Launched
from Toledo toward Illescas IN an
effort to outfank government forces
around Navalcarnero.
IT. n1y+nna1 rantNTP nv fn0
Fascists of Illescas was reported IN
a dispatch from the Toledo front to
the newspaper Diario de Lisboa.
If Illescas falls, insurgent leaders
said, the Fascist line would arch be-
tween two main highways into
Madrid-one from Toledo and the
other from ArunJuez.
! On the main Toledo-Madrid road
| three columns rolled forward swiftly.
Town Is Abandoned.
In full flight, leaving $50 dead, gov
ernment militiamen abandoned the
important town of Valmojado and
fell back toward Navalcarnero, II
miles southwest of Madrid.
! The Fascist warriors brought up
their artillery ans began pounding
Navalcarnero. miles northeast-the
next target in their advance on the
capital.
Straight north of Madrid, 38 miles
from the capital. strong insurgent
forces from the Guadarrama sector
hammered at Torrelaguna.
On the northeast front, Fascist
troops from Siguenza renewed as
saults on Guadalajara, capital OF
Guadalajara Province.
Fascist commanders maintained the
decisive offense" against Madrid has
not been ordered. The present opera
tions, they said, are only paving the
way for the final onslaught on the
capital, which awaits troop concen-
trations in the plains surrounding
Madrid.
MADRID FIGHTS DESPERATELY.
MADRID, October II OP.-Pounded