Show Spain's Spain IS Dream for Neutrality Shaken by Allied Axis Moves L note L. L in sf Spain n during tn l th the S Spanish sus Pitkin war was and an Associated through the Press correspondent correspond winter Inter ti nt leIvI IvI following saw w the n nations nation's tint first st struggles le toward reconstruction c n oc fn By DWIGHT L. L PITKIN FITKIN NEW YORK Nov 19 GS UP Still IP-Still Still licking her civil war wounds Spain finds her neutrality dreams rudely shaken bv by the u spreading flames of World war II The Anglo-American Anglo occupation of French north Africa parried Africa parried by Adolf Hitler's occupation of Vichy France puts France puts the strategic Spanish peninsula between two fires Formidable American and British British British Brit Brit- ish forces are deployed on Spain's southern flank And the British for centuries have had a bridgehead bridgehead bridge bridge- head on the Spanish peninsula itself at Gibraltar possibly Gibraltar possibly the only place on the thc European continent continent continent con con- where the united nations would not have to fight for an invasion landing The spread of nazi divisions through what was unoccupied France places menacing forces on Spain's northern border perhaps border perhaps ready to dash through passes in the towering Pyrenees Wants ants Neutrality So little Gen Generalissimo Francisco Franco the Spanish chief of state who has been attempting to steer his war-torn war country toward neu has strengthened the guard without saying from what direction direction tion he fears invasion Private advices say that Spanish Spanish Spanish Span Span- I ish military leaders are worried by both possibilities a German invasion or an allied second front frontin in S Spain Spam ain Bu But m most t observers of the me we Spanish situation are quoted I as saying that Spain's resistance would be far more unified against II an axis invasion than against an invasion by the united nations Franco who has partially mobilized mobilized mobilized mo mo- the Spanish army navy and air force has claimed that if necessary Spain Spam could mobilize and equip an army of including including in including in- in veterans of nationalist nationalist nationalist na na- Franco forces who fought in the civil war Before the mobilization order order- which the Spanish government euphemistically called reinforcing reinforcing reinforcing ing of commands commands Spain's Spain's army numbered about out of a total population of some Most were youths doing their military service many from zones that were republican in the civil war The Franco regime did not recognize military training re received received received re- re on the republican side The partial mobilization order may have been intended to strengthen the armed forces with veterans of less doubtful loyalty to the new regime than young men who were brought up under republican tutelage Army Prepared Through the past year the army is said to have had little to doin doin do doin in keeping domestic order and so remained free for its main mam job To prepare itself to protect Spain Spam against a possible foreign invader and the further possibility that Spain Spam might want to realize territorial territorial territorial ter ter- ambitions in north Africa if opportunity developed 4 Despite the demands on the national national national na na- economy for reconstruction of to towns tos s destroyed or damaged in the civil war Spain has spent much money labor and material fortifying the strip of coast between between be be- tween Cadiz and Malaga along the Straits of Gibraltar and adjoining adjoining adjoining ad ad- joining the British fortress A certain amount of strengthening strengthening strengthening strength strength- ening of the coast defenses of northwestern Spain Spain-Galicia also has been reported It was in this area that British forces at Spain's Spain s invitation invaded the peninsula during the Napoleonic wars to help drive the French from Spain Until recently at least about one-fourth one of the Spanish army has been stationed in Spanish Morocco Morocco Mo Mo- rocco rocco About a quarter of this force was native troops Some troops have been standing guard in the Canary islands The military force in the coastal zone north of Gibraltar has been estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated at with a smaller concentration in Galicia At the same time the Spanish are reported to have strong fortifications fortifications for for- across the Straits of Tangier and Ceuta in Morocco The Spanish army's equipment is understood to be plentiful but obsolete in terms of the present war Italy France and Russia supplied some of this equipment during the civil war some of it was purchased from Belgian Czech and other arms factories All of it was captured of course by the victorious nationalist armies armies under Franco Weak in Tanks Weak in modern tanks tanks most most of those used in Spain during the civil war were of World War I vintage vintage the the Spanish government has been manufacturing some modern tanks in a domestic fac fac- tory The number however is believed to be small Air power played a decisive role in the civil war Planes sent from Germany and Italy helped crush the republican resistance But most of these planes were withdrawn withdrawn withdrawn with with- drawn after Franco won and at atthe atthe atthe the present time Spain's air force is described as tiny tiny perhaps perhaps not more than planes and not all of them in flying condition Spain however is dotted with strategic military airfields which axis engineers helped build and these scattered throughout Spain and its island possessions would give the allied nations hopping- hopping off points for bombing raids on Germany and Italy or the bases for an air umbrella to protect an invasion of Europe On the other hand if occupied by the nazis the could make male things hot for Gibraltar and the Anglo-American Anglo supply line atthe atthe at atthe the Atlantic end of the |