Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1940. A WONDERFUL WAR EFFORT.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1940, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1940. A WONDERFUL WAR EFFORT.

WHATEVER their ultimate prospects may be in. their gallant resistance to. the Russian invasion of their territory, the Finns plainly are to be credited with military achievements that, will live in history. According to the best available information, the Soviet forces are so overwhelmingly superior, not only in numerical strength, but in the vital factors oi air force and mechanised weapons of every kind that their invasion of Finland should have been a procession to easy victory. Tn “The Military Strength of the. Powers,” for example, Mr Max Werner credited Russia with being well able to withstand and repel a German attack by way of Finland, even in a localised war'in which Germany would have been able to concentrate her forces in that region. Claiming for the Soviet an all-round superiority in land and naval forces in the Baltic regions, Mr Werner said in one passage: — In the air, the Soviet Union undoubtedly holds a definite superiority on its North-West frontier, and the maintenance of this supenority is guaranteed by the numerical and qualitative superiority of its air force as a whole. The zone of this Soviet air superiority stretches from Karelia over East Prussia, and in the event of war it would include Finland and Pomerania. The network of aerodromes and air bases of the Soviet Union reaches up into the Arctic Circle, and this would make a broad flanking offensive possible in the event of a German landing in Finland. Even discounted to some extent, these claims, in conjunction with what, has been said about the all-round strength of the Red Army, might have been supposed to mean that Russia could overcome speedily and without difficulty any resistance offered by the comparatively small Finnish Army, which is aided only by a few foreign volunteers. The actual outcome of some weeks of heavy fighting in. the Finnish frontier regions is, however, one of almost unrelieved Russian failure, developing in a number of places the aspect of disaster. The Finns have not only maintained their essential defences, in Karelia and elsewhere, but have cut off and destroyed large bodies oi Russian troops and at some points have actually invaded Soviet territory. The achievement of Finland to date is wonderful and could not have been expected. Making the fullest allowance, however, for the valour of the Finnish troops and the ability with which thev are being led and directed, and taking due note, also, of the convincing evidence now afforded that the efficiency and’fighting power of the Red Army have been much exaggerated, it remains reasonably certain that Finland must be given speedy and powerful help if she is not to be overwhelmed by mere weight of men and material. It was reported yesterday that Hie Finnish forces were seriously short of ammunition and no doubt they stand greatly in need also of other supplies. The London “Times” has said that it is essentia] in the interests of all nations that Finland’s power of resistance shall not be allowed to be broken.. AA Hit that opinion it. is easy to agree, but precisely how effective help is to be given to The Finns is not obvious. The Baltic is closed Io the Allies and with Norway and Sweden maintaining official neutrality, avenues of approach to Finland by way of Scandinavia are somewhat narrowly restricted. The existing position has been summed up by the military correspondent of the “Sydney Morning Herald” as one in which the Finns are fighting desperately to gain time, time in which the weaknesses of the Russian morale may manifest themselves, time to break the myth of Red Army strength, and time in which the aid promised by outside nations at Geneva might be brought to a people's army sorely in need of them. Having checked the first great Russian onrush, they may conceivably hold out through the depth of the northern winter and until the spring thaws come—that is until their own defences are completely organised, and until the promised outside help comes in full.

Tn the spring, much of the Finnish eastern frontier, now frozen and hard, will become a swamp, through which the Russian mechanised forces could make no headway. Il is asking.a great, deal of the Finns, however, to expect, them Io maintain their defence during the remaining months of winter unless they are given much more powerful help than they appear meantime to have prospects of receiving.