Evening star., 1937-05-24
REBELS ADVANCE
CLOSE TO BILBAO
insurgents Threaten Impor.
tant Railway Junction.
hazl Pilots May Die.

@A~AA WV O"A-
For more than q month Gen,
Mola and his tnsuroent troops hare
oeen hdnmerin0 their wdy touard
the Basque citadel of Bilbao in an
attempt for complete northern
domination OF Spain. One OF the
important military plums in the
5uodo campaign is the highway
junction OF Lenona.
By the Associated Press.
HENDAYE. Franco-spanish From
tier. May 24.-spanish insureent
troops today threatened the important
highway junction OF Lemona, only .
mile from besieged Bilbao's iron ring
defense limo, after = quick thrust
through rugged territory southeast Of
the Biscayan capital.
The capture Of Lemona, where the
Vitoria and Durango highways Join,
8 miles from Bilbao, would bring Gen.
Emilio Mola's insurgents face to face
with the Basque Notifications, upon
which government forces have pinned
their last hope Of saving Bilbao.
Three villages, Yurre, Dina and
Manaria, fell before the insurgent
advance, "mopping up" the area south
OF Durango and Amorebieta. In
surgent gains In this sector were ad.
mitted by the Basque Defense Council,
but the advance was said to have cost
heavy casualties to the attackers.
The Basque defenses were strength
ened materially, however, with the
appearance OF strong unit Of gov
ernment airplanes at Bilbao. (They
were believed to be the is warcraft
which landed in France last week,
having overshot their mark, and
were permitted to return to Spain
Saturday, Low clouds during the
morning kept aerial forces grounded.
Air Raids Kill Is.
The insurgent lines, communicate
from Gen. Francisco Frances head
quarters asserted, now parallel the
Basque lines in a great semi-circle
from Lemona to Basigo de Banouio
on the Bay Of Biscay.
The workers town of Sestao, A.
miles northwest Of the besieged capi-
tai, counted Is dead and more than
100 wounded after an insurgent air
raid Sunday when four planes dump
ed cargoes Of explosives on the town.
Most Of the victims were found buried
In the wreckage OF ls ruined buildings.
Basque refugees reaching st. Jean
de Luz France, told OF scores Of WON.
en- and children being killed in Bilbao
streets Saturday during q sudden In.
surgent air raid.
The attacking planes swooped low,
turning their guns into the streets of
the refugee-packed city. In one street
alone, refugees declared, more than
so women and children were killed.
Three German Pilots Caught.
1nsurgent headquarters announced
three government planes had been
brought down during week end bonn
bardment Of isolated insurgent-held
villages, and declared that numerous
civilian casualties had been caused
by governmen air raids on the town
of Calatayud.
Basque defenders Of Mount Manaria,
where 700 militiamen have withstood
the insurgents for more than a month,
were forced to nee to the Bilbao high
way to escape isolation as Gen. Mola's
troops moved through the triangular
area south Of Durango and Amore-
beta.
Basque officials planned to place a
German pilot named Wandel on tr:a.
for his life today after he bailed out
from his plane behind government.
lines. Two other German pilots, Capt.
Walter Kienzel and Lieut.. Gunther
Schulze, are under death sentences.
President Jose Antonio Aguirre Is ex-
pected to act Wednesday on a petition
to set aside the death penalties.