Morella, May 19. EN. Franco's troops, Moors and Galicians, battling fiercely with four inches of snow over the ground, today captured the fortified town of Villa Franco del Ci erasing a sixteen mile Republican salient piercing Nationalist lines on the Mediterranean front.
Nationalist columns converging on Villa Franco del Cid from the north, east and west threatened to entrap Republican troops fleeing south toward Albocacer.
For hours a baltic raged on Nevera peak and all the way up the mountain-side and became a hand to] liliand encounter at the crest as Mor-ocean troops with curved blades. slashed at Republican bayonets, fore~ Ing them to retreat down the' other side of the mountain, Republican. dispatches from Bar~ celona said a Nationalist fect, reportedly of fly planes, _raided Castellon de ta Plana thirteen times in 24 hours, dumped at least eighty bombs and killed four children and patients in a hospital and destroyed Rity houses. The communique said attempts to bomb Valencia and All-conte met with a reinforced Repub-Mean alr armada resulting in @ bat tle of 100 planes. The Republicans claimed they were victorious but dis: closed no" statistics of losses casualties of cither—side—United Press.
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