The Big Push?

Three days of rain and bird-walking weather last week gave the battered seaboard towns of Loyalist Spain their first respite in three weeks from incessant, systematic bombings by Insurgent Generalissimo Franco's airplanes. Late last month, infuriated by the refusal of Britain and France to grant him belligerent rights. Franco listed 100 Loyalist towns and 58 villages as "legitimate objectives." announced that they would be ceaselessly bombed in ''retaliation." A fleet of Italian Savoia and German Junkers bombing planes, based at Majorca, was ordered to blast the towns in shifts. At last reports they had dumped their loads on 30 towns, killed at least 300 people, injured more than 1,000.

For weeks official war communiques from both sides have reported "nothing worth mentioning on any front" but from the activity behind Insurgent lines last week it was evident that some front would soon be blazing. Despite the fact that snow blankets many sectors of the front and that many of his troops are war-weary after eight counteroffensives to retake the Ebro River salient. Generalissimo Franco is determined to throw everything he has into one Big Push before Britain's Prime Minister meets Premier Mussolini at Rome early in January. A Franco success, such as his smash-through to the Mediterranean last April, would give II Duce a good talking point on which to demand belligerent rights for the Insurgents from Mr. Chamberlain.

Most likely spots for the Big Push are the Sagunto sector, where the Insurgent drive on Valencia was halted by the Loyalist counteroffensive on the Ebro four months ago, or the area around Lerida in the north, where an Insurgent break-through would place Franco within striking distance of Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Loyalist Spain made ready for the attack, possibly the biggest of the war. Two more classes, men of 37 and 38, were called to the colors by the Catalonian Ministry of Defense. All army leaves were canceled.

Chief hope of the Loyalists when the Big Push gets under way is to start a diverting counterthrust at some inactive section of the front. So far this maneuver has always stopped Franco sooner or later because he has never had enough men to fight in two big areas at the same time.

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