The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-07-17
Small Army Group
 Started Spanish War
tContinued from Page D

A few days later July 25, the insur- gent generals set up central gov- ernment at Burgos with Mola ir charge.
 Foreign governments took hand in the war. The sympathies of Rus sia and Paris, where leftist pop ular front government had just taken power, were naturally witt the socialo- communication govern ment of Madrid. Mussolini and Hit. Ter were prompt to pronounce against any extension to the Span- ish peninsula of the direct influence of the Kremlin.
 Six Italian Planes Crash
 On July 30, three of squadron of six Italian bombardment planes crashed on the sands of the French north African coast while being flown to Spanish Morocco as 1taly's first contribution to the insurgent cause. From that time on, France, Russia, Germany, Italy and to a lesser extent, Britain, openly con- tributed men, money, arms, muni- tions to the two belligerents, and Europe had taken definite sides in Spain.
 European War Feared
 It was feared that a European war might be famed into flame. The British and French foreign min isters recently admitted before their respective parliaments that on two occasions during the year Europe was on the verge of war, but never closer than when the Spanish loy- alists bombed from the air the Ger man pocket cruiser Deutschland.
 The London non intervention committee succeeded, after months of diplomatic jerrymandering, in putting into force at midnight, April 19. a naval and land control by the five major powers of Spanish from tiers and coasts.
 Italy and Germany were swung into the non-intervention camp only after 50,000 Italian and 12,000 Ger man volunteers had joined the Franco army, and the insurgents were provided with 225 foreign planes and the foreign pilots to fly them; 380 pieces of big and small field artillery and the foreign troops to handle them, 400 foreign tanks and armored cars and the foreign drivers to maneuver them.
 French, Russian Bombers
 On the other side, there were several hundred French and Rus sian bombers and pursuit planes and about 40 American planes, sold by enterprising dealers to the Spanish government buying mis- eions. Russia provided the loyalists with several hundred tanks and the loyalists also obtained French, Brit tsh, Czech and Russian machine guns, rifles and artillery. Much of their sanitary equipment and field anibulances came from the United States, as well as their thousands of auto trucks.
 Real Proving Ground
 Spain was a real proving ground for EuropeIs new armaments. Many general staffs sent in the greatest secrecy their new guns, planes, tanks or automatic rifles to be tried out against humans in the field. After carefully controlled tests, these armaments were taken back ano torn apart SO that the general staff technicians could determine any faults in their design or construc. ton.
 Nations in Lead
 Neutral observers were agreed that the Spanish testing grounds uroved to the satisfaction of tho general staffs watching events tho Following:
 q. That Russia's combat planes were fastest and best.
 2. That Germany's bi-motor bombardment planes were the best of those tested in Spain, but that italy had the best 3-motor bomb CTS.
 3. That Germanys combat planes were Outspeeded, outmaneuvered, by the Russians; that |'rance's combat and bombing planes ee<e q poor third among European