General Franco's Victories Failing the acquisition by the Republicans of
air-power that would enable them to meet the German and Italian machines opposing them on something like equal terms, the final victory of General Franco, or of Herr Hitler, or of Signor Mussolini seems inevitable. There may or may not be a renewal of the hideous slaughter at Barcelona, where air attacks during last week-end were responsible for at least Boo deaths ; the horror caused in France and all English- speaking countries by the wholesale carnage, together with the urgent representations by the Pope, may have made some impression at insurgent headquarters. But in any case foreign aeroplanes, artillery and tanks are carrying the insurgent attack in Aragon steadily forward to the Catalonian frontier, and the prospect of a break-through to the Mediter- ranean is not remote. In such an event the Government forces in Catalonia would be divided and could be dealt with separately. Rather surprisingly there is no news of fighting at Madrid apart from the explosion of a mine under a building occupied by the insurgents in the outskirts.
