Vatican City, Apr. 19.
Papal blessing was conferred on Gen, Francisco' Franco, leader of Spanish Nationalist forees now staging furious attacks against the Republican Government's remaining strongholds in Spain, The occasion for the blessing was the canonization yesterday of the Spanish Franciscan missionary, Saljvatore De Horta. Gen. Franco, on behalf of Spanish Catholics, tele-Eraphed the Pope expressing his gratitude for the canonization and his loyalty to the Pope.
The Pope has replied by saying that he was glad to hear vibrating in Gen, Franco's message the traditional faith of Catholic Spain sending him "with all our heart" his apostolic blessing—Reuter.
"Arrows" under Gen. Roatta, The Ast, 2nd, and Sth regiments of arti lery, commanded by General Manca, are in possession of guns ranting, from @5 to 300 millimetre white tanks, comprising two battalions of! fight" tanks "and a battalion of armoured ears, are commanded by Col. Sabint. There are several transport divisions.
With regard to the German tand forces, the paper declared th; were only a few thousand experts and officers various Nationalist. >giments, The Italian air force operating Spain is under Gen. Bernasconi and Gen. Vellani.. The force is composed of eight squadrons of 96 planes, of heavy bombers of the type "81": eight squadrons, or 80 planes, of fast bombers, of the type "79"; 4 group of ten modern observation planes of the "Breda 61" (ype, and 35 squadrons of pursuit planes of the Fiat and Romeo
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.