Teruel and After For the last ten weeks the fortunes
of war in Spain have centred on Teruel ; this phase ended on Tuesday when the Nationalists re-entered the city, without, however, capturing the Government troops who fought their way through the ring completely encircling Teruel. Thus it is probable that Nationalist accounts of the thousands of prisoners and huge stores of material captured may be discounted. The long battle has ended in a Nationalist victory, but the Government claim the balance of advantage, on the ground that the battle has drawn to Teruel, and exhausted, the reinforcements and reserves which, after the defeat of the Basques, General Franco had brought from the North in preparation for the offensive. In the meantime the Government's supplies of men and material have improved. In calculating the losses which both sides have suffered, it is probable that General Franco's were the heavier because, after the Government's first surprise attack, he had to take the offensive. But the lesson of Teruel is above all the difficulty, if not impossibility, of breaking the stalemate which had been reached. Without some decisive change in the relative strength of the two armies, no final victory is possible. For this reason, the result of the war depends largely on international factors, and especially on whether General Franco can obtain new supplies of men and material from his foreign allies.
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