Madrid, July 16.
Government observers to-day asserted that between 15,000 and 20,000 Italian soldiers had arrived on the Madrid front, forming a central force to reinforce the nationalist troops, The general staff was said to have welcomed the concentration because the nationalists were risking the' cream of their troops at one point.
'The second year of the Spanish civil war began to-day with loyalist planes bombing and strafing behind the nationalists' lines. In a new surprise attack the loyalists were reported to have gained more than one mile on flat ground on each side of the Toledo highway.
The morale of the loyalist forces was high, with the troops highly confident of victory. General anger prevailed, however, over the developments in regard to non-intervention activities at London. The anger resulted from the belief that the new British proposals were intended to sound international] sentiment preparatory to according the Spanish nationalists belligerent'—rights—
United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.