Evening star., 1936-09-23
Government Force Reported
Falling Back on Both
Fronts-Franco Prepares
to Take Capital by Storm.
INSURGENTS ARE RACING
TO RELIEF OF ALCAZAR
Navalcarnero, 1S Miles From
Loyalist Center, Next Objective
of Fascists, Pressing Along
Highway After Capture of
Maqueda.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Slow but steady progress by
Fascist rebels against Leftist Pop
nlar Front government overwhelm-
ingIy elected by Spain February IS
has marked reUolt. phich began in
mid-July ,Dith uprising OF army in
Morocco and spread to mainland.
Victories in north haze permitted
insurgents to consolidate gains in
Southern and Western Spain and
to concentrate their forces in drtue
on Toledo and Madrid.
In Barcelona anarchiStic Dorkers
hare succeeded in bringing order
out OF chaos Uith establishment OF
stable government for Catalonia,
cleared OF rebels since early in con-
ftct.
lCopyright. 1886, by the Associated eress)
FASCIST HEADQUARTERS, tai.
AVERA DE LA REINA, September
23.-The fall of Madrid and Toledo
was declared imminent today by in
surgent leaders as the FaScists rapid
ly cut the distance separating theil
armies from both cities.
Officers said the government forces
we're hurled back on both fronts
after suffering severe losses in battles
at Torrijos and along the Talavera.
Madrid highway beyond Maqueda.
Reports were current the Madrid
government was debating the adviSa-
bility of surrender.
(In Madrid it was persistently
rumored that the insurgent-held
Alcarzar at Toledo had fallen to
government attackers, but official
confirmation was lacking.)
Gen. Francisco Franco, insurgent
commander, however, prepared to take
Madrid by storm, probably in JOINT
attack with forces of Gen. Emilio
Mola, advancing out of the Guadar-
rama Mountains northwest Of the
capital.
Column Nears Toledo.
The column advancing down the
road to Toledo, following the fall Of
Torrijos, was reported to have pene-
trated within a few miles of Toledo.
trying desperately to reach the city
in time to save survivors in the be-
1eaguered AlcaZar.
Pressing along the main highway
TO Madrid, Frances troops had as
their next objective the important
town of Navalcarnero, only about Is
miles from the capital.
lTha i've ro dio cfofiov OF
Seville contended Gen. Frances
armies were attacking Navalcar-
nero and that another column, ad-
vancing on Toledo, had pressed
beyond Torrijos, 18 miles from
that city. The radio also said the
Popular Front leaders had fed to
France.)
Capture of this stronghold would
throw the government forces back on
their last defenses, near the suburbs of
Madrid.
A large number of reinforcements
was poured out of Madrid to stem the
advancing tide, but the insurgents
claimed they had not been slowed
down.
Mola's troops, on the Guadarrama
front, were proceeding along the Lo-
goya River to strike at government
defenSes in that sector and crush re-
sistance to open the way for a
simultaneous advance on the capital
from both the northern and western
fronts.
Fascist commanders, with strategic
highway points firmly in their posses
sion, launched fresh drive against
government defenders blocking roads
leading to Madrid and Toledo.
The new offensive spread in three
(See SPAIN, Page A-3)