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Show REBELS SMASH OH TOWARD SEA Franco Pushes Nearer Strategic Port HEKDAYT, French Spanish Border, Jan. 14 UP The nationalist nation-alist forces smashed their wsy fiom both north and south today toward ths vital Mediterranean port of Tarragona, behind a heavy artillery barrage and continuing air raids. With ths capture of the walled city of Vails by ths Fifth Navarre division, ths nationalists wars within with-in 12 V miles of Tarragona and IS Si miles from the Important military bass of Vendrell, en ths Tarragona-Bareslnns Tarragona-Bareslnns highway ta the sorts.. Ths capture of Vails was accomplished accom-plished after fierce fighting through the mountain pass of Sierra Cogulla, between Montbianch and Valla. . Rrbele Advance Swift To the south of Tarragona, Gen- era! Juan Yagues Moorish troops drove northward along ths Tortoea-Tarragona Tortoea-Tarragona road toward Tarragona. They had advanced MVj miles In 24 hours and occupied 100 square miles of territory, Including the remainder re-mainder of the city of Tortosa. Northeast ef Falser, the republican repub-lican resistance In ths Musara and Prades mountain sons was overcome and the nationalists reached Cape-tons, Cape-tons, where they took many prisoners pris-oners and a largo quantity of material. ma-terial. Ths republicans reported that they were reforming their Unas south of Tarragona at Lllla, Pra-dell Pra-dell and Hospitalet to meet ths renewed re-newed drive of ths nationalists, who at dawn opened a heavy artillery bombardment all along ths line as ths republicans dug In. In the Estremadura sector far to ths west, where ths republicans have been making an Impressive drive, Barcelona reported that activity ac-tivity this morning was confined to beating off frantio counterattacks of ths nationalists. On the Madrid front at Brunette the naUonalieU claimed to have been successful In three successive attacks along the Persies river. |