The Washington times., 1937-05-31
ONLY 19 KILLED,
SPA|NARDS
CLAIM
Continued from Page u

scoring at least one nlL'
According to the official eX'
planation by the German Gov
eminent. the raid was carried out
in reprisal for bombing OF the
Nazi battleship Deutschland IN
the Balearic Isles. Loyalist Spain
charged the Nazi craft first took
the initiative in firing on Spanish
airplanes.
Five Ships in Fleet
An official communique issued
by the loyalist government here
declared five German warships,
including the Admiral Scheer, a
sister ship of the Deutschland,
took part in the bombardment'
The statement follows:
The military commander OF
Almeria has reported that at
5:45 a. m. today one battleship
and four destrOyers OF German
nationality were observed of
the Spanish coast.
"The five ships turned into
battle formation 121a miles off
the mort of Almeria. They I'D.
vanced to a position seven ana
one.half miles from the port
and opened fire without warn
ing.
about 200 shells were fired
nv the warShips. The shore
batteries replied with 10 shells
and it is believed one Of the
German destroyers was hit.
cat $50 a. m. the Germans
disappeared behind a. smoke
screen.
Numerous buildings were de-
stroyed and casualties were
great. In addition to attacking
the shore, the Germans also
fired on several small Spanish
ships in the harbOr, two OF
which we're obliged to beach"
1ovalist feared the lombard
ment would help the troops OF
Cen Ouiepo De Llano, conqueror
of Malaga, to continue his inter
rupted march along the coast to
Aimeria. Representatives IN
Geneva we're ordered to ask an
o,,oarre,ocv meeting of the League
OF Nations council.
One of Italy's speedy new sub
marines was blamed in loyallsC
quarters today for sinking OF the
Spanish merchant ship Ciudad oe
Barcelona, with an estimated loss
of so sailors.
Germany's foreboding anger
over bombing of the battleshlp
deutschland in Iviza harbor also
brought counter-blast from
Valencia, with the charge that
the pocket" warship fired first on
two accommodating loyalist planes
planes.
The 3,496-ton Ciudad de BARGE
Iona. bound from Marseille Tor
Barcelona, was sent to the bottom
by one of two torpedoeS 40 miles
from her destination, the valencia
asserted.
Loyalist accounts said she car
ried 800 passengers, but dispatches
from Marseille said only 100 OF
the crew were aboard)
The submersible lay in wait for
the Barcelona after missing TIE
tanker Zorroza with two costly
torpedoes, official statements said.
Admitting the bombing OF the
Deutschland, the observation-disclosures
pointedly asked the
world what she was doing in VIVA,
one of the Balearic Islands, any
way? Valencia's official commu-
nique said:
This Saturday afternoon
At S o'clock two government air
planes undertook . recOnnais-
sance flight over the Balearic
Islands.
"As they were passing over
Iviza, q warship anchored two
hundred yards from the pier
opened fire with great violence
against the machines, although
they had committed NO act of
aggression against either the
town or the ship.
PLANES REPLIED TO FIRE
"The aerOpIaneS replied, drop
ping IL bombs, four Of which
exploded on the ship.
'It is known that foreign war
ships engaged on nOn-interven.
ton control should patrol at q
distance of at least 10 miles
from the Spanish coast.
1.-THE Deutschland was &C
tually in the Bay Of Ivixa and
near the pier. Moreover, the
control duties around Iviza, as
decided upon by the London
committee, are appOrtiOned to
the French squadron, and there
fore the German battleShip had
no legal work to perform in the
position Stated-within Spanish
territorial waters"
The bombardment of Almeria
was the second direct act Of re-
priSal by Germany against the
loyalist government.
On January l the German
cruiser KoenigSburg seized the
loyalist merchant ships Aragon
and Soton in the Bay of Biscay
IN reprisal for the confiScation of
the allegedly contraband cargo OF
the German steamer PaloS at
Bilbao.