The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-04-13
DRIVE
RENEWED, TWO
. CITIES TAKEN
Penetrate to Near Sea
Z Coast in Campaign to
Cut Off Barcelona
MAKE NEW ADVANCE
I SOUTH OF TORTOSA

+ HENDAYE, Spanish Frontier,
Apr. Is (UP)-Nationalist troops
renewing their drive to cut Bar
celona off from Valencia and Ma
drid today battled their way to a
point only ~ miles from the sea
in the region of San Mateo. The
NationaliStS also made a new ad-
vance south Of Tortosa, despite
the strong Loyalist resistance.
Nationalist announced they had
taken two towns within two miles
of San Mateo on a l0-mile front.
HENDAYE, Franco Spanish
Frontier, April l3.--(UP)--Li-
guild fire throwerS, heaping loyal
ist barricades with charred bodies,
were reported last night to have
burned a path through govern
ment lines east of Morella to car
ry General Francisco Frances
armies to within nine miles Of
the Mediterranean coast.
Loyalist dispatches from Bar
celOna said Italian or German
brigades of Francois forces, wear
ing grotesque freproof suits, man.
ned The nozzIes squirting liquid
fire and that losses among the
government foreign volunteers
We're heavy.
The government admitted that
its troops were in retreat toward
the Seacoast after attempting to
stand up against the soaring
death spread by the flame throw
ers.
Frances southern commander,
Gen. Miguel Amanda. was said to
have thrown the flame-throwers
into action south of the key high
way terminus of San Mateo De
Las Fuentes, 10 l-2 miles from
the sea at Vinaroz.
The liquid fire caught an anti
Fascist German unit and a cen
trail European international brig
ade by surprise.
John De Gandt, United Press
correspondent with Frances arm
les, watched the fighting between
Morella and San Mateo from an
artillery observation post but his
dispatches contained no reference
to flame-throwers.
Everything was SO dry" he
said, that the trees were covered
with white dust and nationalist
shells started several fires in the
loyaGsts' rear"
The important battle around
San Mateo, De Gandt said, cover
ed a 10 1-2 mile front and sue
ceeded in widening the line of at
tack which Franco will follow to
the sea.
The loyalists, entrenched be-
hind hasty barricades, refused to
give ground in the face of repeat
ed tank attacks and aerial bonn
bardments before the flame"
throwers appeared under protec-
ton of a terrific artillery bar
rage.
Loyalist dispatches, quoting eye
witnesses, said that when the
lame-throwing insurgents reach
ed the first loyalist line south of
San Mateo they found the breast
works heaped with burned bodies.
Many had died clutching machine
guns or rifles with one hand,
their throats with the other.
Most of the dead were describ-
ed by the loyalists as German and
Austrian refugees who Joined the
Spanish loyalist armies Is months
ago.
The remnants of the loyalist
defenders, who for more than a
week had stalled Francois drive
to the seaboard, were reported to
have thrown up secondary lines
with aid Of reinforcements rush
ed down from the north and to
be holding them against heavy
hammering.
These new lines ran along
ridge outside San Mateo, from
which the Mediterranean was Wis
IDLE nine miles away.
Units of the American and
British international brigades
were ordered into the breach in
Continued on page three)