London Amazed By Finnish Victories

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 308, 30 December 1939, Page 7

London Amazed By Finnish Victories

RED ARMY HURLED BACK BY BETTER FIGHTERS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. Dec. 28. Thw prorrew of operations In thf Rase# - Finnish conflict is beln| closely studied in London, and th« newspapers are afreed that la CTerythlnf but numbers— strategy, tactics, efficiency, weapons, and Individual fighting-power—the Flnni have proved themselves superior t« the invaderr The Times says: “What three weefci ago appeared to be the impossible come to pass. After intense and ccn» tmuous fighting, the Russian invader] of Finland have met with a definite reverse. Even those who knew mor j about the high standard of training an'J valour of the Finnish Army, and even those who doubted most strongly whether Bolshevism had succeeded in turning the brave but clumsy Russian soldier of tradition in to the military superman depicted on the glowing propagandist page, had not ventured to hope for such a aeries of victories. “Outmanoeuvred, outfought, decimated by the rigours of a winter for which they were not equipped, though they were in no doubt as to its nature, th« Russians arc now almost cverywhers back upon the positions which they gained in the first week’s onrush. “In revenge, they have chosen the feast of Christmas to resort once mors Ito the bully’s weapon, which signally failed them at first—the bombing aero* •plane. | “Meanwhile, v/hat is civilisation doing to aid this outpost standing under thy menace cf barbarism? It is somewhat melancholy, if entirely natural, that among the States which are neutral iq the greater war at present in progress the warmest response to the appeal ol the League of Nations to its members has seemed to come from those far from the scene of action and whose help will not be able to reach it for a consider* able time. “It is indeed right that these wt»n cannot bring swift succour should none i the less make ready to bring it when they can, because this may be a long-drawn-out struggle. It is none the less' urgent that the greatest possible measure of assistance should be provided in the shortest possible time. j “Sweden and Norway, despite thei.* fully-justified anxiety regarding their' own position, have already accomplished a good deal and are prepared to do much more. The United States has helped generously. Britain nnd France have gone so far as to release certain munitions and supplies earmarked for the use of their own armies. The South African Government is releasing aeroplanes that had been intended for the defence of the Union. “All that these friends of liberty can do will not be too much. There is ample room, too. for private beneficence. "If Finland can be saved, more than Finnish liberty will be preserved. Her salvation would be a triumph for' liberty which would re-echo throughout the world.*