Russian Attacks Grow Weaker

Northern Advocate, 30 January 1940, Page 5

Russian Attacks Grow Weaker

(Received 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, Januarv 28. A FINNISH COMMUNIQUE REPORTS THAT THE ENEMY’S ATTACKS NORTH-EAST OF LAKE LADOGA ARE WEAKER AND THAT SOME HUNDREDS HAVE BEEN KILLED. The Finns repulsed attacks at Uonianpsi on their coastal batteries. The eoastal infantry operated on the flank of the land front. Enemy aeroplanes carried out flights over North Finland and wounded, a civilian. The Finns shot down two aeroplanes.

A Russian communique merely mentions patrol activity and aerial reconnaissances.

Russian Officer Captured

I The Finns caught a Russian officer on board an aeroplane after he had made a forced landing at Kitela. He said he had been deputed to rescue the Russian commander. Another prisoner brought to Biipuri had survived 80 Rusians, who had attacked the Finns as they were digging in. | Some of the Finns pretended to have been killed until the Russians fired qn the remainder. Then the supposed corpses sprang up and routed the assailants. Finnish artillery on the isthmus blew up a Rusian detachment which was digging dug-outs, and destroyed an artillery position. Steamroller Breaks Down. The Russian steamroller appears at least temporarily, to have l broken down. A force estimated at 200.000, which throughout the week tried to outflank the Mannerheim Line, is believed To have failed. Helsingfors reports say that a Russian submarine was destroyed recently in a Finnish minefield. Two hundred more foreign volunteer airmen have arrived. Indicating the intensiveness of the Russian bombardment, experts estimate that 15,000 shells fell within an area of one and a half square miles, blackening the snow. A Finnish machine-gun crew, buried by a shell, were dug out alive. Submarine Destroyed. A Russian submarine was destroyed recently in a Finnish minefield. The sunken submarine was .a 900-ton raider, which, single-handed, had blockaded the Bothnian coast. It had sunk one German ship, one Finnish and probably one Swedish in the past eight weeks. The submarine managed once to wriggle through a minefield between the Aaland Islands, and the mainland, to renew its supplies, but the narrowing mine-belt finally entrapped it. Russia’s Losses A neutral military expert estimates that the losses in the Russo-Finnish war up to the middle of January were: Russians. 100.000, half of whom were killed or frozen to death, and the remainder wounded or frost-bitten. Finns. 6000, of whom 1200 died.

• The Russians are said to be dissatisfied with the progress of their troops on the northern Finnish front and will be sending fresh troops to that section.

When they arrived, the Soviet

forces in the area will number 50,000 men.

Denmark has offered 5000 homes to Finns who may be obliged to leave their country. It is stated from Finland that for the time being it will not be necessary to accept the offer.