FINLAND'S FRONT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 303, 22 December 1943, Page 4

FINLAND'S FRONT

ARMISTICE MOVES FEAR OF RUSSIAN OCCUPATION (By ALBIN E. JOHNSON) STOCKHOLM, Nov. 25. Thirty-six thousand Ingermans — descendants of Finns who settled south-east of Leningrad 250 years ago—are pouring into Finland through the Tallinn, Estonia, gateway. They are a gift from the Germans, who are evacuating for military reasons the civilian populations of certain Baltic regions preparatory to consolidating the northern reaches of their Fortress Europe lines. During recent months 11,000 Ingermans, mostly women and old people, already have arrived in Finland. The plight of the refugees, long since uprooted from their homes, is pathetic. They comprise half-grown children, women and elderly males. Not one baby has thus far been among tho arrivals, because none has survived at birth during the last three years on account of food shortages in German-occupied Ingermanland.

Because of the terrific scarcity of workers and because of their UgroFinnish origin, the Ingermans are welcomed to Finland, although the housing problem is acute. More than 100 school houses have been requisitioned for the first 11,000 arrivals. Improved Food Situation According to official information, Finland's grain reserves this year are 225,000 tons, which is 55,000 tons larger than last year's harvest. An additional 30,000 tons has already been received from Germany, which gives Finland a six months' supply before a new requisition from Germany becomes necessary. Large potato and other crops, especially from reoccupied Karelian farms, makes the food situation the best in many years, assuring temporary selfsufficiency should successful negotiations with Russia bring about a break with Germany. Although pessimistic, the Finns have not abandoned hopes for an early armistice. Responsible officials now declare there are no unsolvable issues if independence and sovereignty are assured. The Moscow Conference cleared the atmosphere, and Finns now realise they must deal directly with the Soviet. Contact was recently established but proved abortive, presumably because of Helinski's unwillingness to capitulate unconditionally and 'its refusal to "stab in the back" their Vapenbrunders. The situation has now changed drastically throughout the entire country. Most newspapers and political parties are demanding positive pro-peace action by the Government if it continues successfully to resist German pressure for a fight-to-the-death compact. This pressure has increased since Italy's defection. The Government also refused to recognise Mussolini's Republic. The Germans already have withdrawn most of their officers and many of their best troops from Central and Northern Finland. Probably five skeleton divisions — ap-

proximately 60,000 men — remain to protect lines of communication to Northern Norway and to supervise 100,000 Norwegian slave labourers constructing Petsamo, Kirkenes and Trondheim highways. Byes Turned To United Nations Unless these are withdrawn before the Gulf of Bothnia freezes over they will be bottled up until spring. It would require three months to transport them over the single-tracked Rovaniemi bridgehead to Gulf of Finland ports. During the Moscow Conference the Finns prayed for American intervention. Now they realise that it is most improbable, and consequently they are turning their eyes toward Great Britain. Although weary and fed up after four years' of mobilisation, the army is reported to be loyal to Marshal Carl von Mannerheim, and the Marshal's loyalty to any legally constituted Government cannot be questioned. Consequently, he is not ready to assume a Badoglio role unless the Ryti-Tanner regime, which Soviet Russia despises, abdicates voluntarily. Parliament, which has served continuously since before the 1939 Russo-Finnish war, has become a timid rubber stamp. Many quarters are demanding new elections as a result. The concensus of well-informed persons is that if Finland is granted terms which exclude Russian occupation (Anglo-American troops would be welcomed) its withdrawal from the war and the bottling up of the Germans in Finland would be accomplished before the end of this year.— Auckland Star and N.A.N. .-V.