* * *
Teruel Again The Spanish war still continues to centre upon Teruel, and in the sixth week of the bittle for its possession the insurgents once more appear to be within reach of a final but Pyrrhic victory. Their guns command the town from the Tooth of Teruel, and threaten the road from the Govern- ment lines at Belchite to Cuenca and Madrid, and their troops are said to have completed the semi-circle they have been attempting to fortn around Teruel. Indeed it is reported on good authority that the Government, having achieved the objects for which their first assault on Teruel was intended, have now completed all the necessary prepar- ations for evacuating the town. Such a decision would not be surprising and would have much justification ; it would involve no loss of prestige to the Government and Teruel itself has little strategic importance. It would seem necessary, however, that the evacuation, if carried out at all, should be carried out quickly, as the insurgents' advance may put them in a position to hamper severely a properly executed retreat. Apart from the assault on Teruel, the insurgents have concentrated in the last week on bombing Government towns and especially Barcelona, where on Tuesday over 15o lives were lost in a raid. The purposeless slaughter by both sides of defenceless non-combatant fellow- countrymen is even more repulsive than the results of air- raids in an ordinary war.
