RUSSIAN THRUST

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 92, 12 January 1940, Page 9

RUSSIAN THRUST

Heavy Fighting On

Salla Sector RESULT OF ENGAGEMENT UNCERTAIN (By Telegraph.—Press Assn—Copyright. Received January 11, 10.20 p.m. LONDON, January 10. Fighting has flared up on the Salla front, where picked Russians are making an attempt to bisect Finland 150 miles north o where the waistline efforts failed. The Russians apparently have abandoned their sotith-westei n drive in favour of trying to cut across Finlan westwar lorn Salla which they now hold through Kemittrask the eastern te - minus of the railway to the sea. Their vanguard is now oO miles The Russians are attacking strongly in the Aittojoki sectoi, north of Lake Ladoga, in the hope of saving a large force neat Kitela, whose encirclement is threatened. A message from Helsinki states that a large number of Russian troops are reported to be starving and freezing to death m the Salla region as a result of the Finnish encirclement, which has now been completed, cutting off the Russians food supplies The latest Finnish communique states: The Russians aie strengthening their defences on the Karelian Isthmus. “We dispersed a battalion, killing 200 and capturing 40 men at Ruhtinaaki, north-west of Lake Ladoga. Our troops aie advancing on Raate and have cleared the area to the fiontiei f o SU °'"Ene“' aeroplanes carried out utioor unsuccessful raids on coastal objectives. The Finnish forts near Lake Ladoga and Koivisto participated in the land operations. _

A correspondent of the British United Press with the Finnish north-eastern army says that the Finns detea ted and practically annihilated the Rus sian Ninth Army Corps, compnsiu B about 50,000 men. during battles between December 24 overthrowing the Russian 163rd, 104th and 44th divisions.

It is now learned that when the 163rd Russian division was surrounded an'd destroyed, the 44th division was only a few miles away. Alter deieatiug the 163rd division, the Finns threw in'all their forces against the 44tu division. The remnants of both divisions are now being driven back over the frontier. . A correspondent states that tor tour miles along the road in this sector Russian dead were strewn, lhe load was so crowded with war materials that it was hardly possible to nioie. The Finns are now building defences in this area. Their tank traps consist of sawing through tnjes at it height of six feet an'd allowing them to fall in the direction from which attacks are expected. , The situation after the past few days lighting can be summed up as a standstill in the far north because of the adverse weather and on the Mannerheim line because of the inability- ot the Russians to attack the fortifications with any hope of success. 11l the central sector lighting is still continuing on a heavy scale at Salla and also north of Lake Ladoga, lle.i the Finns are said to be holding a line approximating to their frontier.

AU reports are agreed on the heavy quality of the lighting at Salla. According to one report the Russians are putting up stiller.resistance, but other sources state that tiie Russians are cut oil from their food supplies and are starving and freezing to death.

It is reported from Italian sources that the railway line between Leningrad and .Murmansk, the Russian pore in tiie Arctic, has again been cut by Finnish patrols at a number of points. There are signs that the recent spe.l of bitterly cold weather has ended. The temperature has risen, but it is now inclined to fall. This ,maj be a prelude to a heavy fall of snow.. Members of the Soviet M omen s Secret Service Agency, it is stated, have been captured after being landed by parachute behind the Finnish lines.— B- radio.

CREDITS FROM U.S.A.

Finland And Norway

To help Norway to buy American agricultural products an'd other goods, the United States Reconstruction Corporation and the Export and Import Bank are to provide credit up to £10,060,000. A similar credit was granted to Finland just after the Soviet invasion began. The Republican leader in the United States House of Representatives, Mr. Hamilton Fish, is moving that £4,000,000 should be spent on Finnish relief. It is provided in the resolution that the credit must be used for the purchase au'd .transport of food and clothing and not for armaments. —By radio.

LABOUR MISSION

To Examine Situation In Finland

(Received January 11. 9.25 p.m.)

LONDON, January 10.

The British National Council of Labour, in response to an invitation, is sending Sir Walter Citrine (secretary of? the Trade Union Congress), Mr. I*. J. Noel-Baker (Labour Party), and Mr. John Downie (Co-operative Unions) to examine the situation in Finland and also to contact the Labour movements in Scandinavia.

KUSH OF VOLUNTEERS IN SWEDEN

STOCKHOLM, January 10.

There was a rush of volunteers today as the result of the recent Finnish victory at Suomussalmi.

WHITE PAPER ON TALKS IN MOSCOW

When the House of Commons meets next Tuesday it is expected that the White Paper dealing with the Anglo-French-Russian negotiations will lie available to members, it will reveal the full story of the breakdown in the Moscow talks, the reason being the ■Soviet attitude toward the Baltic States.—By radio.