Barcelona, Jan. 28.
EN. Francisco Franco's conquering Nationalist troops and Italian-made planes today swept up the Mediterranean coast from here driving the disorganized Republican army into a small pocket along the French frontier.
Highways were piled with the bodies of fleeing refugees. Reports reaching here described scenes of "panic and chaos" near Gerona and said the Nationalist planes were spreading "carnage" along the main Barcelona highway. Scores of men and women fleeing from the war zone were reported to have been cut down by Nationalist planes which machinegunned all highways in an attempt further to disorganize the Republican forces, A number of children were reported to have been among the victims.
In contrast with the scenes of horror enacted near here, rejoining continued in Barcelona including Gen. Francisco Franco': the capture of Spain's greatest City today as 1,500,000 persons, s forces of occupation, celebrated metropolis. Thousands of Cata-ionians met in public squares here for the first open air mass meeting since the beginning of the civil war.
Nationalist headquarters here announced that Nationalist troops were moving rapidly toward Gerona, the new seat of the Republican Government, and had captured several towns seven miles north-west of here despite "staunch resistance" by the Republican rear guard.
Gen. Yuan Yague's Moroccan cavalry was reported to have captured Coartioal where more then 500,000 former Madrid residents sought refuge during the Nationalist drive on Barcelona. The Moroccan cavalry units also were reported to have occupied Masaou, within shelling di tance of Mataro, sixteen miles northeast of Barcelona. They also claim to have taken Caldetas, forty kilametres north-east of Barcelona, Some Nationalist commanders reported that "the enemy is showing signs of rallying" as the Republicans were driven into an ever-narrowing trap.
Eight Nationalist planes dropped eighty bombs on Valencia this afternoon, concentrating on the port zone where the British steamer Foynes was sunk after being hit directly by two bombs. A Greek ship Zuzy, was badly damaged by another bomb. United Press,
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