Evening star., 1939-12-18
Eyewitness Describes
Sad Sight After
Russo-Finn Battle
Acres of Timber
Destroyed by Shells;
Ground Pock-Murked
By JAMES ALDRIDGE.

BY JAMES ALDR1DGE.
HELSINKI, Dec. 18 (NA.N.A., by
Radio) Il have just come from an
outpost of the Mannerheim Line,
with two Finnish officers as guides,
and crawled up hill overlooking
the Taipale River and within shuot-
ing distance of the Russian lines.
Peeping over the top, I could see
q panorama of war. From some
where to the east Russian artillery
began an intensive fire, with the
shells passing directly overhead and
bursting in the snow about thou
sand yards to the west. The fire
was continuous, but always the
shells passed over us, though we
were afraid low one might hit our
hill.
This barrage was clearing the way
for Soviet advance, for the shells
bursting in the timber laid 1t low
and prevented the concentration of
Finnish troops there, or even iso-
lated snipers, as acres of timber
was smashed.
The shells came at the rate OF
about 10 to Is per minute, but this
was considered quiet day. The
Russians seemed prepared to pour
shells over to clear way for their
infantry rather than pour men into
certain heavy losses.
Russians, Unseen, Nearby,
TO the east of us was big curve
IN the river, which the Russians
had occupied, and from the hill
peeped over we could have shouted
to the Russians, who were unseen,
but there. On a nearby hill, the
Firms were waiting with machine
guns and land mines for a Rus
sian attempt to advance. and. from
where I lay, it was apparent that
any advancing troops would be easy
meat for the snipers, machine. guns,
light mortars and hand grenades in
wait for them.
Then the Russians advanced, using
tanks as spearheads, each tank with
a unit of men behind it using it as
q shield. This was the only way in
which they could advance. Even
then, Finnish sniping on all sides
picked off fair number of Rus
SLAMS and well-placed anti-tank guns
wrecked few tanks. When the Rus
slams got into the timber, the tanks
went back for more men to ferry
over the dangerous area.
It was uncomfortable, lying face
down in the snow, clinging to ice
covered rocks and wondering
whether, at the next peep over the
hill, you would stop a bullet from
a Soviet sniper in the woods, while
the continuous whistling of the
shells overhead sometimes sounded
too low. But the view was worth
it, for it was like Hollywood battle
scene. Every now and then, there
would be a rat-tat-tat Of machine
guns from somewhere in the Finnish
lines, then bursts of rifle fire which
sounded clear and definite and dead
ly after the machine-gun burr.
Sometimes I could see a few men
running from one clump Of timber
to another. -. 81
Occasional Larger Shell.
The rife fire and shell bursts
moved farther to the south, but the
shells still continued to pass over
our hill. Occasionally there was a
louder whistling, followed by big
ger explosion that threw the snow
a hundred feet high. One of the
officers with me explained it was
an 11-incher from the Russian ar
tillery on barges anchored in Lake
Ladoga, and when one exploded I
could feel the hill shake.
Taking one last look from the
hill, I scrambled down to the edge
of the clump of timber that the
Russian had been shelling I saw
acres Of destroyed timber, pines and
spruces with trunks shot away, their
tops Topped off, bedraggled, splin-
tered, one of the saddest sights I
ever witnessed. The only tree left
standing was a spruce that was
covered with feathery hoar-frost.
The ground was pock-marked
with craters feet in diameter, with
gunpowder-b -blackened snow for so
yards around the more recent
bursts. Some of the craters were
about u feet in diameter and 8
feet deep. These were made by
shells from the guns out in the lake.
What pieces of tree remained were
peppered into jagged shapes by
shrapnel.
Occasionally shrapnel whistled
through the trees, but we were be-
hind boulders of granite that pro-
vided perfect protection. Slowly we
crept through the trees to one Of
the comfortable dugouts of the
advanced Mannerheim line, where
patrols were just coming in. 1t was
growing dark and the artillery was
getting quieter
Sled-Load of Skis Arrives.
As We left the Mannerheim Line,
I noticed a sled-load of skis arrive,
either as replacements or for new
men, and could not help feeling
that nature in every way had given
the Firms everything they need in
defense here, for the terrain and
the weather are completely in their
favor.
To break the Mannerheim Line
would be the costliest thing imagin-
able. Actually. the Mannerheim
Line cannot compare in construction
with the Maginot Line, for there
Is little actual construction. Most
OF 1t is built up by strengthening
the actual defensive nature of the
terrain. Its real strength consists
OF the reinforcements behind It,,
rows Of little Mannerheim Lines.
Tank traps of rows on rows Of
sharpened Jumps of granite, 6 feet
high, are the only real evidence of
any line, and even these fade away
IN the wooded sections, where they
are not needed.