Word: bilbao
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...waterfront of Bilbao last week, city flags still hung from flagstaffs flaunting the city's 700-year motto: INVINCIBLE. The quayside was under fire from Rightist artillery, only six miles away a terrific artillery and aerial barrage had blown a gaping hole in el gallo (the rooster), Bilbao's vaunted triple iron ring of trenches. Rightist troops and trucks were pouring through. Shouted an exultant staff officer above the roaring of field guns: ''Bilbao is ours already, we can take it today, tomorrow, or whenever we want...
...that had never yet fallen to a besieger had fought off attack after attack. Last week the Basques counterattacked where they could, stormed hillsides, blocked roads with tanks, but their artillery was almost silent and their planes were useless. As had happened many times before in this shoestring war, Bilbao was falling for lack of munitions. At a 3 a. m. conference the Basques voted to hold out to the end, but at the front men were fighting with knives and stones. Down the coast road to Santander, 50 miles away, whither the Basque Government had already moved its records...
...Leftist Bilbao, Basque officials snapped: "May God have mercy on his soul...
Spurred by the death of Mola, Basque Leftists counterattacked viciously around Bilbao, regained much precious ground with heavy losses to the Rebels. To celebrate his new command Rightist General Fidel Davila ordered a massed attack on the important peak and town of Lemona. At the end of 24 hours Basque forces were still holding out. Star witness of the Lemona attack was Archduke Otto von Habsburg, pretender to the thrones of Austria and Hungary.* At the front to visit his youthful uncle. Prince Gaëtan of Bourbon-Parma, and accompanied by another uncle, Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma...
This week General Fidel Davila, taking over the Bilbao sector for the Rightists, won praise from Franco by loosing a thunderbolt attack on the Basque defenses. A monster fleet of 63 airplanes sent bombs whistling into the suburb of Lezama, more into the trenches at strategic Lemona Mountain. After heavy artillery preparation and machine gun strafing from the air, 30 tanks lumbered up the slope followed by Rightist infantry. Announced the Insurgents: "The hill is entirely in our hands...