A THREE-DAY BATTLE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 145, 16 December 1939, Page 13

A THREE-DAY BATTLE

FINNISH SUCCESS

THE SOUTHERN FRONT

FIGHTING IN NORTH

FOUR VILLAGES ABLAZE

jißy Telegraph—Press Association- Copyright.) (Received December 16, noon.) LONDON, December 15. It is officially claimed in Helsinki that the Finns are entirely in possession of the district of Tolvajarvi, on the southern front, and that the troops are pursuing the Russians. The battle in this area has lasted for three days. It is stated that two Soviet regiments have been destroyed. > The Red Army, however, is progressing in the extreme north, where four villages beside Salmijarvi are' ablaze. All night terrific explosions were heard from the Norwegian frontier. It is believed that these indicate the blowing up of the nickel mines. The Russians in central Finland claim to have reached a point 67 miles from the Soviet frontier. The pressure against Salla is strong, but the Finns have received reinforcements and arc holding their own and inflicting heavy losses. Thousands of men of the Red Army are reported to have fallen in this area. The Finns have withdrawn huge herds of reindeer from the district. There is* doubt whether it is possible for the Russians, with their long and vulnerable lines of communication, to make provision for their troops for any length of time. The Finnish Foreign Office' spokesman ' welcomed Mr. Chamberlain's statement, and said: "If only Britain will help we will be all right." The Finnish' Minister to Sweden, M. Erkko, in an interview in Stockholm, said: "Finland can hold out indefinitely if munition supplies are made available without delay." The Archbishop of Sweden has sent a message of sympathy to the Archbishop of Finland, stating: "You are fighting for the things we all hold dear." ; A message from Helsingfors states that more men have been called up, resulting in an almost complete I mobilisation.