1939-12-13 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 13, 1939

Centre Of Gravity Shifts In Finland Fighting

FINNS PLANNING COUNTER-STROKE IN THE NORTH

- Helsinki, To-day.

THE FINNS ARE HASTILY strengthening their de- fence lines and are also understood to be plan- ning a counter-stroke by pouring very heavy re- inforcements into the Petsamo front.

The object of this, according to neutral observers,

NAZIS IN TRAINING IN HOLLAND

The Hague, To-day.

The Hague police have arrested. 27 members of the Dutch Nazi Party.

They were carrying out mill- tary training in an underground room and when caught were singing the Nazi "Horst Wessel" song. Reuter.

is partly to divert the force of the Russian attack RED and partly to threaten the Murmansk railway.

At present there is little indication of when this AGITATION

In the sector north of Lake Ladoga IN SWEDEN

a

offensive will be made. One theory is that to-day being Russian holiday, it may be zero hour as well.

Some circles think the Red Army will wait until the ice on the lakes is thick enough to bear tanks and mechanised transport.

THIRD-RATERS

Finnish observers are gradually coming to the conclusion that the Russians at present have only third- rate soldiers in the field.

It is thought that the Moscow commanders, finding they great- ly under-estimated the strength of the Finnish resistance, have now decided to bring up their firat-class reserves. Meanwhile the centre of of the fighting has suddenly shifted from the Karelian Isthmus to the centre of Finland, where the Rus- sians are trying to drive a wedge and split the country in half.

HEAVY FIGHTING

gravity

Very heavy fighting is proceeding on the whole front around the plea- sure resort of Suomussalmi and fur- ther north near Kuolajaervi.

The Russians are reported to have a very large force here and the Finns are rushing up reinforcements.

It is unofficially reported that Fin- nish planes yesterday bombed and destroyed 12 miles of railway on the outskirts of Murmansk.-Reuter.

SEVERE FIGHTING

London, To-day. A Finnish communique says there has been severe fighting along the whole line in the Karellan Isthmus, the battle being especially flerce at Muola village,

The enemy made several at- tacks, all of which were rapuls- od, and the Reds left hundreds of dead In front of our lines. Several enemy tanks were destroy- ed.

The enemy, made several attempts to break through the eastern frontier and a great battle

fought at Tolvakaeri.

was

Our troops captured 52 machine- guns and other war material.

THREE BATTALIONS

ANNIHILATED

the Finns have abandoned Pilkaranta. In the Ilomantsi sector Finnish sur- prise counter-attacks annihilated three Soviet companies.

In the Karelian Isthmus the Finns are stiffly resisting in front of their fortification lines.

The situation is unchanged around Petsamo.-Havas.

SOVIET AIR BASE DESTROYED

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL") VIIPURI, TO-DAY,

•

IT IS REPORTED THAT THE FINNISH AIR FORCE DESTROYED THE SOVIET AIR BASE AT MUR- MANSK,

Meanwhile, the Russian advance in the Karelian Isthmus is meeting with ever increasing difficulties due to snowfalls and also to innumerable Finnish traps.

Nevertheless, the Russians are re- sorting to massive attacks in close formations which are being decimated by Finnish machine-guns.

White-clad Finns, hiding behind trees, disabled many Soviet tanks on which they threw flaming petrol.— Havas.

ROME'S KEEN INTEREST

Rome, To-day.

Rome circles are following the fight- ing in Finland with great interest.

It is stated here that the Soviet at- tacks have been extended over the whole eastern frontier and fighting has been very violent during the past 24 hours.-Reuter.

SUBMARINE

Three battalions of enemy Infantry IMPERILLED

were annihilated, and several tanks put out of action.~

Enemy attacks at Llimola, support- ed by heavy artillery, were repulsed. Fighting continues in the northern sector of the eastern front. ~

Washington, To-day. › The U.S. submarine, Sea Dragon, sister-ship of the ill-fated Squalus, has had to put back to her base with her electrical equipment part-

Enemy planes bombed Hymnsalmi ly flooded, due to circumstances ap- Island, in the Gulf of Finland, withparently similar to the cause of the

out result,

-Our air force bombed and ma- chinegunned the enemy lines

and

marching columns of troops. Reuter,

PILKARANTA ABANDONED (SPECIAL TO “CHINA MAIL")

HELSINKI, TO-DAY,

THE OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE

Squalus disaster.—Reuter.

SWEDEN CONTINUES TO PREPARE FOR SQUALLS

Stockholm, To-day. Sweden continues to take precau-

SAYS THE FINNS PUT UP A tionary measures, and the Government STRONG RESISTANCE TO OVER- | yesterday ordered its first batch of WHELMING : SOVIET FORCES. half a million gas-masks--Reuter.

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

Zurich, To-ry.

An increase of Communiat agitation In Sweden, especially in the districts near the Finnish border, is reported by the Stockholm correspondent of the "Neue Zuercher Zeitung."

The correspondent adds that Swedish Communists openly state they will side at once with the Soviets should the Swedish tension increase.

The Swedish population is in- dignant. Havas.

U.S. AND FINLAND

RISING TIDE OF FEELING

NEW YORK, TO-DAY. PUBLIC OPINION IN THE UNIT- ED STATES AGAINST SOVIET RUSSIA IS RISING. THOUSANDS ARE ATTENDING MASS MEETINGS OF PROTEST AND CONTRIBU TIONS ARE POURING INTO THE FINNISH FUND WHICH IS UN- DER THE AEGIS OF HERBERT HOOVER, FORMER PRESIDENT.

Typical of press comment is that of the "New York Times," which says that the real question is not how many eloquent resolutions will be passed praising Finland and .con- demning Russia, but how many guns the Finns can acquire. Finland needs aeroplanes and ammunition.

The fighting there is not a war within the meaning of the present Neutrality Act and the United States is not barred under the Johnson Act, which forbida loans to countries defaulting their war. debts, from making loans to Fin- land,

The United States hopes that ways can be found to give prompt ald where it is most needed.--Reuter.

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