Evening star., 1938-07-17

Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Carta-
gena all have suffered heavily In scores
and hundreds of aerial bombardments
augmented occasionally by shellings
from the sea.
Thousands Of civilians are being
buried monthly in the continued aerial
attacks behind the lines; thousands
more wander In bewildered fashion
down from the advancing fronts, seek
ing haven and shelter In zones already
congested with wars weary refugees
whose totals run well into the millions.
Cost in Lives Unknown.
The cost in lives Of the Spanish War
never will be known with exactitude.
No casualty lists are published, ex-
cept here and there. Waging a losing
war, the government in many cases
has seen whole divisions of troops
eaten up and annihilated on an ad-
vancing front with none to record
how many were killed. injured or
captured.
Civilian tolls also cannot always be
reckoned, particularly in villages near
the front, where cleanup squads can
not work because of the approaching
battlelines. Many records Of deaths,
killings, assassinations and murders
during the early bloody days of the
war have since been suppressed and
destroyed.
The estimates Of SO, 900 people killed
in Madrid in the first six months Of
the war and an equal or greater num-
Der in Barcelona may be correct, but
still are only estimates. No one
bothered or dared keep an accurate
count.
There probably Is not a family un-
touched by death. Black bands and
dresses are seen everywhere through
the somber land. Conscription has
called up every able-boried man from
II to "a, many Of whom have been
killed At the front.
Territorially, insurgent gains during
the second year of war are important
but not too impressive.
n yCut A6O tOAdy SAlC SoFCihLiOA
forces were on the offensive at Bru-
nette, west of Madrid, where they
were engaged in an action designed
to restrict insurgent pressure in the
north and If possible bite of the in
surgent segment running up to and
menacing Madrid.
The offensive failed and Asturias
fell in October, thus giving the enemy
full control of isolated northern areas
holding out with the government.
Teruel Offensive Mistake.
Examined historically, writers prob
ably will find the governments great
est mistake Of the war was the
Teruel offensive launched December Is
after commanders grew tired Of try
ing to outwait Frances next move
after Asturias.
After initial successes gained at
terrible cost. the government lost
Teruel two months later and a stag
gering amount Of munitions and pre-
cious equipment had been destroyed
for nothing Instead of destroying
Frances offensive power. as they had
hoped, by reversing roles and attack
ing first, the government leaders found
the engagement was boomerang to
themselves.
Without awaiting a breathing space
even Franco launched his Teruel hard
ened and seasoned troops against weak
government defenses in Aragon and six
weeks later they were bathing in the
sea after a spectacular government
rout down through $50 miles of coun-
try.
Franco had cut of Catalonia from
other government territory and thought
he had won the war. But the gov
ernment absorbed this shock as it
had others before 1t and strengthened
instead OF cracking. At huge cost The
insurgents have advanced their lines
southwark to threaten Valencia.
Minimize Own Danger.
The day-by-day struggle for food,
ecaxNsttes, transportation md news
seems OF greater importance to the
correspondents in Spain than the
hourly danger through which he is
passing
A dozen or more foreign correspon-
dents have been killed, injured and
exhausted in Spain. Every correspon-
dent knows others will share that fate
before the war ends, but hopes it
won't be he who goes.
Many books can and will be written
later about personal hardships and
experiences of correspondents in Spain.
Correspondents in Spain depend
for their otiicial news upon a terse
government commique issued usually
at midnight, except when a govern
ment retreat is in progress, when it
appears later, and sometimes incom-
plete. On such days the arrival Of q
few deserters in government lines or
the reported crippling of an enemy
airplane will be stressed over the sur
render Of an important or vital posi-
ton. village or mountain ridge.
An intimate knowledge of Spain,
good maps and frequent trips to the
front are essential equipment to news
gathering in Spain.
Transport Main Problem.
Transportation is the major prob
lem. With no trains or buses for
civilian travel, correspondents must
travel with the troops. Passes for the
front are very hard to obtain. although
when big offensives start they Oft
times are unnecessary.
During the Teruel fighting in De-
cember correspondents often drove 400
or 500 miles daily through bitter cold
and over icy roads for q quick look