PRESSURE ON MANNERHEIM LINE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 February 1940, Page 5

PRESSURE ON MANNERHEIM LINE

Hundred Civilians Killed in Air Attacks More than 100 people were killed and 100 injured in widespread Russian air raids over Finland on Saturday. The main districts bombed were in the south and west. The new Russian attacks on the Mannerheim Line appear to have, been more scientifically planned. It is believed that they made inroads into the Finnish lines, but counter-attacks by the Finns resulted in the recapture of the original positions. Fighting is also going on north of Lake Ladoga, where the Finns claim to have captured several Russian positions. The Leningrad Military District headquarters has issued a denial of any Finnish air raids on the naval base of Kronstadt, and also declares that, no offensive large or small, has been launched. Reports of such offensives are attributed to “mercenary agents employed by enemies of the U.S.S.R.” The Russian puppet Government which was set up at. Terijoki has issued an edict, to the effect that Helsinki is to bo known in future as “Stalingrad.”

The Finns made short work of the Russian armoured sledges, employing the hand-grenade tactics which were so successful against the tanks. The defenders were fully prepared for the conflict. The pressure has been reduced in the Summa and Muolarjarvi sectors of the Mannerheim Line, to which the Finns rushed reinforcements. The Finns killed or captured the majority of the patrols which were dropped by parachutes from aeroplanes.

In Helsinki, a hospital was machinegunned, and hospitals and churches in other towns are said to have been attacked.

The Moscow paper “Pravda” declares that M Stalin will destroy the enemies of the Finnish workers. This is interpreted by Finland as a rejection of President Kallio’s peace offer. —By radio.