THE WAR, STEP BY STEP

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 108, 10 January 1940, Page 2

THE WAR, STEP BY STEP

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6th Sweeping the fro/en lakes of the Karelian Isthmus with searchlights the Finns frustrated a Russian attempt to outflank their positions. French patrols penetrate nearly two miles into German territory anil bring hack valuable information anil some prisoners. The weather has improved on the Western Front and regular flights are being made by Allied and enemy aeroplanes. It is officially slated that FieldMarshal Goo ring has been appointed Supreme Director of War Industry. His Majesty the King sends New Year greetings to the French President and says that with the greatest confidence he foresees an Allied victory. French President replies. The Aberdeen trawler Duneilin is feared to have been lost. She was last seen in lishing grounds which the Nazis bombed 011 December 19. The Swedish steamer Kiruna (5481 tons) is sending out S.O.S. calls and says she is sinking slowly 500 miles north of the Azores after an attack by a submarine. Fifteen survivors of the Swedish steamer Lars Magnus Trozelli, of l!)f)."j tons, arrived at Bergen, Norway. They say their ship was torpedoed without warning *20 miles from Blyth. Seven men were killed. The finding of the body of a fisherman and some wreckage suggests that the trawler Young Harry has been blown up oil' the south coast of England with the loss of her crew of four, including a father and son. The trawler had been missing since before dawn, when explosions were heard in its vicinity. The Estonian steamer Agu (1575 tons), with a crew of IS, is believed to have struck a mine in the North Sea. She has not reported since December 3. Authorised sources in Berlin state tha* British "submarine traps" namely, armed merchant lishing vessels, sank two German submarines. This is the first German admission of sub marine losses. It is reported from Gibraltar that t,he American steamer Executive (-1978 tons) 11 ;is been detained and 13,000 ft of nickel tubing have been I seized. MONDAY, JANUARY Bth The Finnish Embassy states that the Finns penetrated Russia to a depth of 10 to 15 miles in the direction of Grigoriev. They have been fighting on Russian territory for several days. According to reports from Stockholm. the Finns won the battle of Kuolajarvi and recaptured Salla, the key town in this area. Russians brought up fresh troops, but were unable to repel the repeated Finnish attacks. Finnish staff officers report that the victory at Salla was on the same scale as at Kiant.ajarvi earlier in the week, when a Russian division was annihilated. The Russians were rout ed in the Salla front and are reported to be fleeing in confusion across the frontier after two days of heavy lighting. The State Department at Washington has released the text of a long Note warning Britain that she will l>e held responsible for damages in the event of "losses or injuries if American ships arc forced into British control ports." A Paris war communique states that there has been patrol activity on both sides on the Western Front. A Berlin communique reports slight artillery activity on the West ern Front. Air reconnaissances over Britain and France were continued according to plans. The biggest political sensation of the war was caused as the result of the official announcement that Mr Hore-Belisha, Secretary for War, and Lord Macmillan, Minister for Information, have resigned. Mr Oliver Stanley, president of the Board of Trade, becomes Secretary for War, Sir Andrew Rac Duncan, president of the Board of Trade and Sir John Rcith, Minister of Information . The American vessel City of Flint collided with a merchantman while manoeuvring in preparation for sail ing for the United States.