Evening star., 1936-09-21
Spain
Continued From First Pa9e.)

Continued From First Paeel
the arrival Of a militia commander
who settled the difficulty curtly and
restored the flag to the Galatians.
met a 2l-year-old Argentine girl,
Lena Abranzon, from Buenos Aires
Dressed in blue overalls, she said she
had just finished her second month of
militia service.
Il have been here in Toledo three
days" she told me. Before that l
served in the Guadarrama Mountains
as a group commander. l only led one
attack, but had hand grenade and
1 saw that it accounted for eight
MoorS"
Suddenly. as we were talking, we
heard a whizzing noise. We threw
ourselves fat A hundred yards away
shell dropped-but did not explode
1t was from a Fascist trench mortar
inside the Alcazar.
FRANCOIS FORCES ADVANCE.
Copyright, 1896. by the Associated rress !
TALAVERA DE LA REINA. Spain
(delayed)-by courier to Franco
Spanish border, September al
Massed forces of the Spanish govern
ment failed today to halt the drive OF
Gen. Francisco Frances inSurgent
army, menacing Madrid along the
main Maqueda highway.
Split into four columns. the inSur-
gents expected to seize Maqueda. key
point on the highway, in a matter OF
days, and then march down the As
miles of excellent roadway to Madrid
Government reinforcements con-
stantly were coming up, but the de-
tenders were unable to hold their lines
against constant charges by Franco S
tanks and raids by his airplanes
The government armies left field:
Uttered with dead as they fell back
on Maqueda for a desperate stand.
Madrids air fleet countered the
Franco offensive with a bombardment
of Talavera, three government planes
dropping II bombs on the city before
seven insurgent pursuit planes coulC
take of.
There were no casualties in Tala-
vera, and the pursuit planes were re.
ported to have shot down one govern
ment machine
This was the first air attack on
Talavera in five days. 1t occurred or
Saturday, only an hour before Gen
Franco arrived from Caceres to con-
fer with Col. Vague.
The Moorish legionnaireS, in Their
relentless attack. occupied all terri
tory halfway between Talavera and
Maqueda in their fierce assault on
retreating government militiamen
The driving insurgents occupied all
territory hallway between Talavera
and Maqueda In their fierce assault
on retreating government militiamen.
Moors, recruited in the service of
the FaScists from Spanish Morocco
stalked the streets of the little village
of Otero south of the main road lead
ing to the gates of the Spanish cap
ital
Advance patrols Of the onrushine
insurgents pushed ahead, firing on the
run and dragging machine guns with
them in their haste. In a rain of steel
the retreating Socialists abandoned
their positions and scattered before
the organized offensive Of the disci.
plined, drilled foreign troops.
Maqueda, objective Of the imme.
diate Fascist drive, was the scene OF
desperate efforts to coordinate the
shattered government defenses. Gen
Jose Asensio, commander Of all gov.
ernment troops in Central Spain
ordered hasty entertainments in prep.
aration for a decisive battle for con.
troll Of the highway junction.
Capture OF Maqueda would place the
insurgents in strategic position fol
attacks on both Madrid and Toledo
The town is the junction point on two
main roads, one leading northeast t
Madrid and the other southeast te
Toledo.