ACCORDING TO FINNISH ARMY LEADERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 December 1939, Page 5

ACCORDING TO FINNISH ARMY LEADERS

Entire Divisions Cut Up MAGNIFICENT FIGHTING SPIRIT SHOWN BY DEFENDERS RUSSIANS CLAIM TO BE ADVANCING (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, December 25. Reviewin' 1 ' the first three weeks of the war a communique from the Finnish army leaders states that it has so far cost the Russians heavy losses. Entire divisions, though unwilling, were forced to attack and were cut up. Assaults on the Mannerheim Line have occasioned the most, severe losses. Finnish losses, bv comparison, have been slight. The communique adds that, the Finnish troops are still displaying a. magnificent fighting spirit, which has given the enemy and the work! proof of their quality. A special communique issued in Moscow on Saturday again asserted that the Russians were advancing and it also attributed their slowness as due to the inaccessible territory and concrete fortifications. It added that 1823 Russians had been killed and 7000 wounded with 20,000 Finns killed. 10,000 wounded, and 1300 taken prisoners. On the same day a Helsinki report stated that the rinns continuing their counter-attacks and repulsing the Russians on four fronts. The Kirkenaes correspondent of the Associated Press stated that a portion of the defeated Russian forces in the Petsaino area had ceased retreating and had dug in in order to make a stand near Salmijarvi, where Finns claimed to have already surrounded them.