General Franco's Success The insurgents have achieved notable successes in
Northern Spain. By Tuesday afternoon General Solchaga, entering and advancing beyond Tomelavega, had cut both the main road and a subsidiary road westwards from Santander, thus blocking the only line of retreat left to the Republican forces. The city itself was occupied by the insurgents on Wednesday with virtually no opposition. Italian troops have played a conspicuous part in the advance, the quickest and easiest the insurgents have achieved since their march on Madrid a year ago ; the Republican retreat appears to have become a disorganised rout and a British ship had arrived at Santander to remove President Aguirre and other members of the Basque Government. The passivity of the Spanish Government in the face of this successful advance, which may have such serious results for Madrid and Valencia, is remarkable. The abandonment of the Basques and Asturians to their fate is probably due to short- age of arms and aeroplanes, of which the Government • needs all it can obtain for the defence of Madrid and on other fronts. But it is possible also that the inactivity, both of the Companys Government in Barcelona, and of the Negrin Government at Valencia, may be due to internal political difficulties. Meanwhile the British Government is very rightly increasing its naval strength in the Mediter- ranean in view of the frequent air and submarine attacks on merchant shipping.
Previous page
