Word: biscay
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Generalissimo Francisco Franco moved into the spotlight on the Spanish civil war stage last week, took personal command of the drive on Santander, last important Loyalist stronghold on the Biscay coast. Anxious to bolster his prestige, chubby Franco stood behind his lines, watching as his Rightists, Moors, Italian "volunteers" rolled down the sloping hills toward Santander...
...several points. Then came a bit of news even more galling to the pride of Benito Mussolini than the rout at Brihuega. In an attempt to encircle Bilbao Italian troops pushed ahead. One Italian brigade reached the port of Bermeo eight miles from the capital on the Biscay coast, captured it. Here they were counterattacked by Basque militia, for the most part fishermen and their armed wives. When the Italians broke ranks, the bloodthirsty fishwives chased them into houses, beat them, threw them out of windows. Many escaped by jumping the sea wall, swimming two miles to the eastern shore...
...match the complete rout of the Italian divisions at Brihuega, and Rightist General Franco and his German and Italian backers were bound to make that defeat good last week. More than prestige was at stake in the attack on Bilbao. Bilbao captured should give the Rightists control of the Biscay coast, remove serious military pressure on their rear, allow thousands of men to be transferred to the siege of Madrid. Most important of all it would bring Franco and his Nazi and Fascist backers the most valuable iron deposits in Spain...
...point for naval historians. Loyalists say one of their air bombs plopped straight down the Espana's funnel. Rebels insist that the Espana struck a floating mine. In any case, up she blew and in 45 minutes sank by the stern to the bottom of the Bay of Biscay. Of her crew, normally 854 officers and men, no were rescued by the Velasco. Fishing boats searched the area for hours, found not a body or a survivor but other things: several German newspapers, the captain's cap, an officer's jacket, the Espana's, logbook...
Last week this belief was justified. Off Bordeaux in the Bay of Biscay the Mar Cantabrico was cornered by the White Spanish cruiser Canarias. In an effort to embroil Britain, the Mar Cantabrico flashed frantic radio calls for help, signed them with the letters of one of Britain's Elder Dempster liners. To the rescue of "an unidentified British ship" while Europe waited breathless rushed the destroyers Echo, Escapade, Eclipse, and Encounter. Arriving first, Echo reported that the Mar Cantabrico's, crew had been taken off by the Canarias "so presumably the ship sank." Next...