STOP PRESS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23364, 25 June 1941, Page 1

STOP PRESS

BBITIBH AID TO RUSSIA ; LONDON, June 24. ' The Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden) revealed in a statement , in the House of Commons to-day | that the Soviet Government had , accepted the British Govern- ' ment's offer to send military and economic missions'to Russia to further' co-operation of the . efforts of Britain and Russia ogainst Germany. Mr Eden also eaid the- Finnish Government had given an assurance that its attitude to the present conflict was. and would continue to be, ~ . a purely defensive one. BM> AEMT'S QUALITY ' SYDNEY, June 24. Describing his experiences as the war correspondent of the Sydney "Sun" in the Greek and Finnjah campaigns, Mr James Aldridge, who has returned to , Sydney. with an injured back, said that hi the Finnish pam- • paigir. ; the" Russians, put only second-line troops' ifito'the war ' :-.at-the outsat, but the later Ked • Army'divisions were wonder-: ' fully equipped and showed truly J • : what 'Russian technique ; had : evolved. He was confident they , would triumph against Germany. . ' Mr Aldridge paid tribute, to ? the sameness, toughness, an&'resourcefulness of the Australian ' . soldier. He said the weapon'of >. to-day was not the rifle but the < . , • 'Tommy" gun. There was still . need for , in-flghting,. he ex- ' plained,, but to in' train- ■ ing _ ; infantrymen- solely ■ with \ j rifles "and bayonets costs' men, i material,'and •vlctbiy. 3