The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-03-08
Spanish Communists
 In Madrid Thrashed
(Continued from Page D

488 4V4U~4 IN (Cortinued life-and-death struggle for the de- fense council created by the over throw of the Negrin Republican cab inet and headed my Miaja man ef- fort to eliminate Communist inf1u- ence from the government prepara- tory to negotiating peace.
 Republican ariplanes bombed the county-revolutionary units, artillery and machineguns were used against them in the front line sectors on the outskirts of Madrid and in the center of the city where several vain attempts to seize strategic points have been made in the last AS hours.
 Miaja's desperate position was il- lustrated by the fact that he sud- denly ordered crack Republican troops out of the .,ront lines to op- ose the Communicated units in Madrid itself. At the same time, he gave the entrenched rebels until
 
 With Fixed BayOnets
 As the hour set for surrender drew near, Miaja's Reublican troops en- tered the city with bayonets fixed on their rifles and with hand gren- ades ready. Artillery and machine gun units were posted at the gates of Madrid and in other strategic points for use against the rebels.
 Carabineers who had seen long service in the more than two and a half years of civil war, took po- sitions around all government build ings in Madrid. Military guards were redoubled inside the ministries. Street car and subway transporta- tion was curtailed.
 The streets were deserted by civil ians but picked troops with auto- matic arms pa rolled the main ave- nues at 50-yard intervals. A bitterly cold wind swept the calm but all most desolate city streets.
 Suddenly the air alarm sirens be- gan shrieking at five minutes of noon-the hour set for surrender of the rebels-and two planes appeared over the city. At almost the same minute, the government advised the people by radio to remain calm and identified the wto planes sa Fepub- lican craft loyal to the Miaja de- fenSe council.
 Surrender in Numbers
 A moment later it was announced that the Communists were sur- rendering in large numbers and that a white flag had been hoisted by their main unit entrenched in the outskirts of Madrid
 After a night of terror in which there was intermittent firing in the northern section of the city, Miaja moved against the Communists. vet eran anarchist troops who tl.rough- out the war had been on the Guada- lajara front, and who played a ma- jor role in the defeat of She Ital- ians there.
 This morning, the defense council troops were in positions dominating the main Communist strongholds.
 The defense council broadcast by radio an ultimatum to the Com munists. It announced that Republi- can troops had been ordered to withhold their fire until noon, pro- vided that they were not attacked.
 The ultimatum added that unless the Communists surrendered by noon the defense conucil troops would attack in force.
 Give Up Quietly
 Reports reached defense council headquarters soon afterward that many of the Communists had sur- rendered even before the expiration of the ultimatum.
 Lieut.. Col. Cipriano Mera, anarch- ist leader who has been cooperating closely with the defense council, moved the anarchist shock troops into the city.
 There had been fighting through out the northern suburbs yesterday and the defense council sent its air fleet against the Communist po- sitions, bombing adn machine gum inng them.
 Gen. Segismundo Casado, war minister of the council, disposed trusted troops at all key positions and put heavy troop guards on gov- ernment buildings and at such key points as the telephone building. while the anarchists moved to at- lacking positions against the main CmomuniSt defenSeS,
 Not Much Resistance
 During the afternoon, Republican troops continued to occupy Com munist positions in the city and the outskirts, without meeting mucl re- sistance.
 Gen. Miaja sent a radio message to th', military governor of Ciudad Real saying: Send news imme- idately about the uprising. Use lal emans to crush it."
 Madrid's communications with the provinces in Republican terri tory generally were disrupted but re- ports reaching the capital said that street fighting was in progress in several different zones. The com munications break made 1t difficult to get any details regarding the dis orders.
 The defense council was using ra- di Ia an effort t direct its armed