FIGHTING HM FINLAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1939, Page 7

FIGHTING HM FINLAND

POSITION IN PETSAMO REGION OBSCURE

Reports Very Much in Conflict ATTACKS ON MANNERHEIM LINE REPELLED GERMAN AIR RECONNAISSANCE IN BALTIC A Davenlry bromleast stales that people living in the Arctic border ol' Norway ami Finland report having heard loud explosions in the direel ion ol’ the Finnish port ol' Petsamo. which il is believed was raided by itussian planes at 11 a.m. and again two hours filler. This supports lhe Finnish claim that they si ill hold lhe port, which they said they recaptured a week ago. A lied Army communique slates that Soviet troops yesterday were about 30 miles south of Petsamo, which indicates an advance of about ten miles in four days. The Russians claim to have pierced rhe .Mannerheim Line (iii Karelia), hut the Finns say that Soviet attacks have been completely repulsed ami that (hey have brought down three Soviet planes. Finnish aeroplanes bombed Soviet troops and air liases. A Soviet attempt to land troops on the south coast ol Finland, according to a Danish newspaper, failed. The Soviet paper “Pravda” prints reports that Germany ami Italy have been supplying arms to Finland. The paper does not comment on lhe report. An admission has been made in Germany that Nazi aircraft have been making reconnaissance Bights over the Baltic, in spite of bad weather, 'flic report has caused considerable comment among neutral observers.