Hendaye, Jan. 19.
OWLY conscripted Republican reinforcements were rushed 28 miles inland from Barcelona to Igualada today with orders to resist to the "last man" the advancing Nationalist columns now attempting to pierce the capital's outer ring of fortifications. Only the Montserrat hills would stand between Gen, Franco's armies and the "Iron belt" round Barcelona's suburbs if Igualada falls. The Republicans barricaded in Igualada have held out a week against repeated Nationalist attacks by land and air, hurling back each Nationalist attack with heavy losses.
Gen. Franco's heavy artillery hammered at the Queralt-Rubio hills round Igualada today and poured explosives into the city's suburbs while Navarrese army corps moved eastward along the highway from Mont Manez.
A second motorized column of Navar-rose meanwhile advanced from the south-west in ce-operation with Italian units and was reported to have occupied Cal del Lorens and Cal del Lante.
Nationalists were reported to have massed six Spanish and one Italian divisions for the Igualada. battle. Three hundred pieces of artillery have been drawn up in position to shell the city and at least nine squadrons of bombing planes have moved to advance bases in the past 24 how to join the attack on the key cit; United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.