Three-Cornered

Instead of being plagued with just two armies fighting each other, Spain last week had three. Army No. 1, biggest and strongest, was that of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, who now holds three-fourths of Spain. Army No. 2 was commanded by famed old General Jose Miaja, president of the Madrid junta which last week ousted the Loyalist Government of Premier Negrin. Army No. 3 consisted of Communist "rebels" of the old Loyalist Army which revolted against the Miaja junta. The men of Armies No. 2 and 3, fortnight ago buddies in the same trenches, promptly went at each other's throats while the Franco forces fired scarcely a shot.

Loyalist Spain's bitterly fought "war-within-a-war" centred in Madrid and for it General Franco's troops in the nearby trenches had grandstand seats. One of the hardest-fought engagements between the Loyalist factions took place near the old Royal Palace, in West Madrid on the high bank of the Manzanares River within plain view of some ten miles of Franco entrenchments. The Communist stronghold was in the partly completed Government buildings on the old race-track course in northeastern Madrid, less than two miles from the Franco trenches in University City. At one time the Communist revolters surged down the Paseo de Recoletos to the famed Plaza de Cibeles, on which are located the buildings of the Banco de Espana, the central post office and the War Ministry. They were driven back by a tank attack.

Early this week General Miaja announced for the third time in six days that the revolt against him had been crushed. For the third time, however, the old "Savior of Madrid," whose military acumen was never rated very high, seemed likely to be mistaken. The "rebel" forces had been cleared out of the centre of Madrid, but they were still said to be holding important outskirts with 30,000 men. Furthermore, aid to them was on its way from other fronts. The chances were that the Loyalist forces, within plain view of their common enemies, would fight each other until the Franco Army, last week more a spectator than a fighting force, stepped in and cleaned them all up.

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