NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE Republican forces in Catalonia have survived a dis- astrous week, in which the Government has suffered great losses. Tarragona has fallen; the insurgents have ad- vanced to within 33 miles of Barcelona; the food shortage in the city is acute; and the insurgent offensive continues with a superiority of three to two in numbers and an overwhelm- mg superiority in material. Some observers have indeed concluded that the result of the war is no longer in doubt. Such a conclusion is, however, premature. General Franco's offensives have hitherto shown a tendency to stop short at the crucial moment, either through exhaustion of men and material or because of diversions on other fronts. Both these factors may affect the present offensive, despite the successes already won. Though the Republican attacks on other fronts appear to have come to a standstill, probably because of the defenders' superiority in material, yet the latest messages from Spain report that the situation of the Republicans has improved and that the offensive has slowed down; in the Cervera section the Republicans have been able to counter-attack. The situation of the Government is, however, desperate; and at the crisis of the war its resist- ance, despite the high morale of the troops and the popula- tion, is still crippled by the acute shortage both of food and of arms.
