HEAVIEST RAIDS OF WAR

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21559, 23 January 1940, Page 7

HEAVIEST RAIDS OF WAR

Waves Of Bombers Over Finland

Civilians Stay In Shelters

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 22, 8.15 p.m.) HELSINKI, January 21. Waves of Soviet bombers swept over Finland during the week-end. Three thousand bombs fell in South Finland on Saturday in the heaviest bombing since the outbreak of war. Helsinki had four raids, keeping the population in shelters during daylight. A Moscow message states that Soviet ’planes made reconnaissance and fighting flights. There was nothing of importance to report on the front. The Finns bombed Kronstadt and the Russian bases in Estonia. Twenty Finnish ’planes participated in an air raid over the Kronstadt naval base with good results. All returned safely. Five waves of Russian bombers attempted to wipe out the strategic town of Oulou. They started a dozen fires and machine-gunned people trying to save treasures. The town was reduced to blackened ruins but the railways from Sweden southward are intact. The Russians are being thrust back from Salla to the frontier. A Finnish communique reports increased activity in the Karelian Isthmus and the repulse with heavy loss of two attacks at Taipale, also the Finnish capture of strong points northeast of Lake Ladoga, while aeroplanes carried out reconnaissances, repelled Russian advances, and successfully bombed their bases, shooting down one balloon and 11 bombers. The Finnish casualties due to widespread Russian bombing were only three killed and 25 wounded. Three men were killed in the aeroplane collision on Saturday owing to Russian machine-gun fire from the ground crippling one ’plane which crashed into another. One of the three airmen killed was Pilot Jung, son of the chief of staff of the Swedish Army. The fourth airman returned to the Finnish lines after three nights’ ski-ing with the guidance of a compass. The temperature was 36 degrees below freezing point. The lost ’planes belonged to a squadron which, on the first raid, spotted the Russian base and destroyed three machines on the ground and one in pursuit, subsequently shooting down two pursuit ’planes. Russian ’planes bombed and machine-gunned several passenger trains on the Helsinki-Wiipuri railway and also bombed firemen who were extinguishing fires. Russian Attacks Smashed In an earlier communique, the Finns claim to have smashed two Russian attacks. The first was broken up by artillery fire, and after the second the Finns counter attacked. The Russians are reported to have suffered heavy losses. The Finns also claim to have improved their position north-east of Lake Ladoga. Three thousand bombs were dropped in aerial raids on 20 Finnish towns and villages yesterday. It is reported that several hundred aeroplanes took part in these attacks. The Finns claim to have shot down 11 of the raiding bombers. Information obtained from Russian airmen forced down during recent raids in Finland indicates that the Russians are using bases in Estonia for raides on south-western Finland. Accordng to a Finnish communique which refers to the destruction of two more Russian tanks, the Finns are fortifying the ground over which they are advancing. This work is being carried out with extraordinary speed, and the line of defences is now many miles deep.