ANOTHER VICTORY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 February 1940, Page 5

ANOTHER VICTORY

FINNS ROUT RUSSIAN DIVISION Soviet Staff Surprised by Patrols BIG ATTACK ON KARELIAN ISTHMUS ALSO REPULSED (By Telegraph.—Press Association—Copyright.) HELSINKI, February 5. Victory has again erchvned Finland’s banner with the rout of the 18th Russian division near Kitela, north of Lake Ladoga. The division has ceased to exist as such, between .15,000 and 20,000 men having been killed or having died of cold and hunger, or been taken prisoner. Ski patrols surprised the entire Russian staff as it was retreating down a snow track in the pine forests. The marksmen picked their targets and the ears smashed into trees as the drivers slumped dead over their steering wheels. Machine-guns killed those escaping from the wreckage. The patrols secured vital papers.

A Finnish communique claims the capture of the stronghold north-east of Lake Ladoga, with the slaughter of 500 defenders and the acquisition of much war material. A big Russian attack on. the Karelian Isthmus, which started in the morning and lasted until midnight, was finally repulsed. The Russians used 100 armoured ears and 22 of these were destroyed. The Russians suffered heavy losses of men.

The defeat of the 18th Division is attributable to the Finnish patrols, which worked round the division and closed in on it. through the snow-clad forests at Pitkaranta.

The Russians attempted to retreat to the Lakeside Road, but the batteries on the island of Mantisinaari plastered them with shells, while larger bodies of Finns armed with machineguns aided the disintegration of the fugitives and of other units advancing to their rescue in response to wireless appeals. The majority of 285 tanks attached to the 13th Russian Army were destroyed.

The Russians are now 28 miles from Viborg, having achieved a slight success through their repeated attacks preventing the Finns laying down mines between assaults.

The total losses of the "Russians in four days are estimated at 7000 killed and many wounded. The Finnish losses are heavy.

.The Finns captured several 15 centimetre field guns, and also howitzers, which they are effectively using in the Muolaa sector.

Russia has called up her 1920 and 1921 classes.

AIR LOSSES 250 RUSSIAN MACHINES DESTROYED PLANES SAID TO BE OBSOLETE., SHORTAGE OF TRAINED PILOTS. The Finns claim to have destroyed 250 Russian planes at a cost of 15 planes themselves, states a radio message from Daventry. Commenting on the high percentage of Russian losses, experts say that the Russian planes were all obsolete, that there is a shortage'of trained pilots, and that the material in the planes is of inferior quality and badly maintained. It is further stated that Soviet fac-

tory output has fallen off in the past three years, possibly because of purges, and possibly because there are no modern types of aircraft under construction in Russia.