SOVIET SUCCESSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1939, Page 7

SOVIET SUCCESSES

ON LAND AND SEA SHIPS PENETRATE GULF OF BOTHNIA. ADVANCE SOUTH FROM PETSAMO. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON. December 10. Four Russian ships are reported in the Gulf of Bothnia, after penetrating the minefields, states a Copenhagen message. Numerous refugees, going to Tornio from the south-east indicate that the Russians have reached Suomussahni. which is 45 miles by road from the important railway junction of Kontiomaeki. This supports lhe Russian claims to have penetrated 43 to 50 miles from lhe frontier in the Kutno and Prozosero sectors, where the objective is to cut Finland in half. A Leningrad communique claims a similar advance in the Petrozavodsk sector and adds that Russians have reached the Taibela River defences and are now advancing to Kexholm. Russians have advanced 31 miles south from Petsamo, the port of which has been cleared of Finnish mines. An Helsinki message states that a night communique admits Russian attacks on the entire east front, some of which were repulsed. A Stockholm message says that Finnish planes bombed Kronstadt. KARELIAN FRONT

AHEAD OF MANNERHEIM LINE. RUSSIANS BEING HEAVILY REINFORCED. (Received This Day. 10.25 a.m.) LONDON. December 10. The Associated Press of Great Britain’s correspondent on the Karelian front says the Finns are taking advantage of a lull to dig in and complete tank traps of barbed wire in anticipation of an intensification of the Russian onslaught on the ■ Finnish front, which is still well ahead of the Mannerheim line. It comprises an incredible maze of machine-gun nests and artillery emplacements. The Russians are obviously rushing up reinforcements.. as considerable activity in the Russian lines can be observed from the Finnish outposts. The Finnish intelligence service expresses the opinion that a million men will shortly be available for attack, with the object of swamping the small Finnish force as soon as a hard freezeup enables the movement of mechanised units. The British United Press Helsinki correspondent says the Finns are also rushing up reinforcements on the northern and Lake Ladoga fronts. Refugee trains, lorries and carts are crammed with soldiers returning to the war zone immediately they are emptied. It has been discovered that women are fighting in the Russian ranks in addition to piloting bombers.

MUST BE FREE FINNS' EFFORTS TO AVOID WAR. INDEPENDENCE DAY IN LONDON. (British Official Wireless' (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) LONDON. December 10. Finland's saddest Independence Day was celebrated in London at the Finnish mission in Stepney this afternoon when Finns gathered from all over the metropolis.Girls in multi-coloured national dresses welcomed M Gripenberg. the Finnish Minister. In the course of a speech, he said that everything possible had been done by Finland to avoid war. but though they were prepared to make concessions. they could not give up the right to live as free'men and women.