Evening star., 1938-06-07
AIR BOMBS RAIN
ON3MORE BRITISH
VESSELS|N SPAIN
22 Killed and 70 Wounded
in acknowledgements
Also Attacked.
NEW REBEL OFFENSIVE
OPENED ON EAST FRONT
Hundreds Of Planes and Big Force
Of Artillery Support Drive
Toward Coast.

BACKGROUND
Spanish insurgents hape been un-
able to ddDance in Eastern Spain
since last Friday as result of Loyal
ist troop reintorcements north and
Dest of Valencia and presence of
new Loyaltst air feet and artillery.
In northeast Gen. Francois in
surgents hare continued bombing
flights, forcing France to take pre-
cautions against border piolations.
BY the Associated Press.
MADRID, June 7.-Three more
British merchantmen were seriously
damaged today In raids of insurgent
warplanes on the Spanish govern
ment's Mediterranean ports Of Ali
cante and Valencia.
At least % persons were killed and
10 wounded in Alicante, where bomb
crashed>into a building in VIII - 200
refugee families from the war zones
were living, creating havoc Another
bomb hit the well-known Hotel Vic
toria.
Five Planes Raid Alicante.
Five Junkers German type) planes
raided Alicante City. but the harbor
there was attacked by a single sea-
plane. Three Of its bombs hit the
3.688-ton British freighter Thorpe
haven, Gripping it badly. Another
vessel. described only as "the English
ship" was set afire. Nloyd's, at Lon
don, said the Thorpehaven, 3,688 tons,
left Marseille for Alicante June ~
At Valencia three bombs which
plunged into the harbor alongside the
cargo vessel Thurston sprung her
plates and she started to settle. Her
captain took grave view of her con-
dition. Nlloyd's lists the Thurston as
of 3,072 tons.)
The raids raised to IL the number
Of ships sunk or badly damaged in
the last fortnight in insurgent raids
on Spanish government ports.
Frsighter Set Afire.
Another British freighter. the st.
Winifred, was set afire yesterday when
five 0erman- Junksrs bombers
raided Alicante, killing 10 persons, In
cluding three British members of the
st. Winifred's crew.
Today's raid increased to 10 the
number Of foreign ships sunk or badly
damaged by insllrgent raids on gov
ernment Spain's Mediterranean coast
in the last fortnight.
Rebels Launch Offensive.
HENDAYE, France, June 7 (R.-
Spanish insurgent armies today
launched q general offensive against
Valencia along 50-mile front be-
tween Teruel and the Mediterranean.
The attack, unleashed at dawn, was
supported by hundreds Of planes and
large concentrations Of heavy artillery.
Gen Jose varela's army in the
Teruel sector smashed southeastward
toward the coast, while Gen. Miguel
Aranda's Galicians struck straight to
the south down the seaboard. Be-
tween the two armies Navarrese
troops under Gen. Garcia Valino
famed out to cover their TANKS.
The new offensive started after five
days Of skirmishing in which lines
had remained virtually unchanged.
Despite insurgent reports yesterday
Of the enlightenment Of Albocacer, .
keystone Of the government defenses Of
Valencia, an ofiicial communique to-
day acknowledged there was nothing
to report on any 'front.'"
A lengthier government dispatch
said all insurgent efforts to advance
had been repulsed with heavy losses
and reported several successful gov
ernment counter-attacks In the noun
tains between Teruel and the coast.
The toll of death In insurgent air
raids yesterday on the Mediterranean
seaboard rose to at least 1872, govern
ment advices said.
The raiders killed Is at Alicante, II
at Valencia, IL at Segorbe and rs at
smaller coastal villages between Cas-
tellon de Ia Plana and Alicante.