SOVIET ASSAULTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 February 1940, Page 5

SOVIET ASSAULTS

HEAVY GUNS HAMMERING VIBORG RAILWAYS BLOWN UP BY FINNS. RUSSIANS REPORT CONTINUED ADVANCE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, February 23. The Copenhagen correspondent of the “Daily Mail” says that Russian six-inch guns are hammering Viborg from fronts six and a half and seven and a half miles away. “The Times” Stockholm correspondent says the Finns have blown up three railways leading to Viborg. First, a part of the Bjorko-Viborg railway; secondly, the branch line from Summa to the main RaivoloaViborg line; and thirdly, the KyyrolaViborg railway. The Russians have occupied some islands north of St Johannes, but the Finns claim that their batteries on Bjorko Island, which is two miles from the Bjorko coast, remain intact, and that they are shelling the Russian flank and communications. Russian planes severely bombed the north of Finland, killing eight civilians. ' A Leningrad communique says: “There was nothing of importance to report yesterday. We continued to advance, occupying 21 isthmus fortifications. including 15 ferro-concrete artillery forts.” A Moscow commun-

ique says that the air force bombed troops and military objectives and shot down six planes. A Finnish communique states: “We killed 2000 Russians at Taibela and took 200 prisoners, and north-east of Lake Ladoga we dispersed columns. We shot down 13 planes.” Snow continues to fall in Helsinki.