SOVIET BATTLESHIPS BOMBARD FINLAND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 141, 16 June 1944, Page 5

SOVIET BATTLESHIPS BOMBARD FINLAND

HEAVY JIR_ BLOWS Armies Fight Among Lakes And Marshes N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 10.30 a.m. LONDON, June 15. The battleship October Revolution, of 25,000 tons, heads the Russian Baltic Fleet battleships, which, backed up by shore batteries of the Kronstadt naval base, are pounding into silence Finnish batteries on the coast route to Viipuri, along which the Red Army is making very swift progress, says the British United Press Moscow correspondent.

The Russians participating in the inland thrusts are battling against well established defences, built along the lakes and marshes. Red Air Force planes, ranging ahead of the 30-mile front, are smashing the Finns' prepared positions, and blasting communications along which their reinforcements must come. One hundred and fifty Russian planes last night raided Viipuri.

"The Russian offensive in the Karelian Isthmus continued with unabated strength," a Finnish communique states. "The enemy has penetrated our positions at Kuuterselkae and there is heavy fighting at Kivennapa and Siiranmaeki."

Kuuterselkae is 10 miles northwest of Terijoki and two miles from the Viipuri railway.

Russian tanks and shock troops have driven deeper into the defences of the Karelian Isthmus and taken several more strongpoints. The Finns have 'thrown more reinforcements into file battle, taut have failed to stop the Russian push toward Viipuri.

Second Finnish Line Pierced

The Russians to-day, on the Karelian Isthmus, continued to develop their offensive in the Kuuterselakae area and broke through the Finns' second strongly fortified defence zone and captured 17 strongpoints, says the latest Moscow communique. Troops on the Leningrad front, as a result of their six days' offensive, have penetrated two stronglyfortified defence belts, advancing upwards of 25 miles, and widening their breach upwards of 45 miles, therebv capturing or destroying more than 500 permanent defence fortifications and capturing 235 guns. The enemy suffered enormous losses in manpower. Twelve enemy planes were destroyed yesterdaßussian planes last night made mass raids on airfields at Byelostok, Baranovichi and Luninets, in Poland, directly hitting German planes and fuel dumps. Three of our planes have not returned.