Evening star., 1937-02-21
Bitter Lessons From Spain

thousand Fascists and Carlists, his
sented smaller target to air attack.
I have spoken to experienced soldiers
who have taken part in the fighting
in Spain, and they are convinced that
the days of the great conscript armies
are over.
Mere masses Of marching infantry.
men, far from being an advantage,
are now an actual embarrassment.
The future of military warfare lies
with the highly mobile mechanical
land forces and with aircraft.
Modern Weapons Aid Defense.
But even this lesson is modified by
another experience in Spain. Once
more it has been shown that modern
weapons have greatly strengthened
the power of the defense. That was
found to be the case In the World War,
with its trench system stretching
right across Europe from the North
Sea to the Swiss frontier. Garrisoned
and fortified towns in Spain have
shown an unexpected power of resist
ance. Substantially constructed build
ings giving overhead cover and de-
Tended by small bodies Of determined
men armed with machine guns and
anti-tank guns can hold up an army.
Examples in the civil war are the de-
tense of Madrid by the government
forces. and Of the City Of Ovieda by
the rebels. The case of the Alcazar at
Toledo, successfully defended by the
rebels, was exceptional because that
was an immensely strong fortress
But any town now can be rapidly
made into a formidable military OBJ
stacle which can be reduced only after
long siege. Prior to these events cer-
tain general stats in Europe had based
their calculations on the swift, sudden
onrush Of highly mechanized special
iSt forces. But the defense of towns
has proved Unexpectedly strong. This
will be deterrent to aggression. If a
well-prepared military power cannot
gain q swift victory and has to face
a long and exhausting struggle, the
maddest of dictators and the most am
bilious of generals will think again.
This civil war has also shown the
growing importance of the air weapon,
both in naval and military operations.
This factor was understood in in
formed circles in Europe, but 1t has
been brought out into the daylight.
The air forces engaged have been COM
paratively small. Where in Spain the
bombers and fighting airplanes have
been numbered by scores, the air
forces being prepared by the principal
powers, including the United States
and Japan. will, in a year or two, be
numbered by the thousand.
Air Superiority Established.
Yet even these comparatively small
air forces in Spain have played a
highly important part. At the be-
ginning the Spanish government had
a naval superiority. especially in the
Mediterranean. The most powerful
units of the Spanish feet remained
loyal. Though short of officers, these
warships were successful for some
weeks in preventing the transport of
Gen. Frances Moorish troops from
Africa. Then came the Italian and
German airmen. Air superiority was
established and the government naval
forces we're driven back into the har-
Dor. In the land fighting also the
airplanes have played an increasingly
important part.
In passing. it may be noted that
strongly constructed buildings, espe-
cially when made of reinforced con-
crete. are less vulnerable to bombing
attacks from the air than had been
supposed. Buildings made of bricks,
on the other hand, have been scat
tered and almost obliterated whenever
| a bombing attack has been pressed
home.
How do the weapons of the COM
batants compare?-and by cobatants
mean French, Russian, German and
Italian. The Spanish government had
most of the air force at the beginning
and the machines were French ma
chimes. They have given a good &C.
count of themselves. and French air.
men are delighted to find that their
fighting airplanes are faster than
those Of the Germans.
But the best fighting airplanes have
been the Russian, known as the Red