Evening star., 1939-12-29
BY JAMES ALDRIDGE.

WITH lEE FINNISH ARC liz
ARMY, near Kemijarvi, Dec. 20
(N.ANA) tby wireless) For two
days the writer has been at the front
with an advance post of the Finnish
Arctic army. From hut some
where between Kemijarvi and Salla,
I have been watching the Films
conducting a remarkable war sue
cessfully against overwhelming Rus
sian forces in winter cold, 80 degrees
below zero, and amid binding snow.
The front line here is even less
of line than the Mannerheim Line,
in Karelia 1t is a no mans land,
a vast area of forests filled with
Finnish and Russian patrols that
are continually meeting and dueling
in bitter weather conditions.
When the sun creeps up at noon,
the fighting begins. I saw some
action Wednesday a few hundred
meters from my ,.ut. Two days be-
fore the Russians had attempted to
capture the road leading into Kemi-
jarvi, but failed. They made Sec
OAlO dIlClAlpV
Some time during the night the
Russians pushed up a patrol of 300
men of the 1st Battalion of the
59th Regiment of the 14th Red
Army to a hill 400 meters from my
hut and from the Firms main
supply road. Here the Russians set
up machine gun nests in a COM
manding position to attack. They
were making their preparations for
six hours before a Finn out on
patrol found them. On his skis he
came rushing up to the door of our
hut, which was serving as temporary
headquarters for our Finnish unit.
The Firms Immediately ordered their
patrols to come in and approach
the hill.
Attacked From FIanks.
A hundred Firms sneaked up on
the Russian position and opened fire
before the Russians knew they were
there. The Russians replied with
hand grenades and automatic rifles
and even grenade throWers. While
these hundred Firms kept the Rus
slams occupied from the front,
hundred more made a flanking
movement uphill on both sides of
the Russians and the circle of Firms
poured hell into the enemy.
There was no lack of bravery on
either side in this battle. 1t was
a half-hour slaughter, with unceas-
ing machine gun, rifle and grenade
fire. Then it stopped as suddenly
as it began. A number of Firms
came rushing back on their skis, and
in 10 minutes all the Films had fill
tered back with their wounded, tell
ing that most of the Russians had
been killed, but a couple of hun
dred had managed to escape. The
Firms captured a pile of excellent
equipment, some of which the next
patrol took out for their own use
Immediately, for the Firms know
ingly always make their guns of
the same bore as the Russians.
From this and other battles here
the commander of the Finnish bat
talon has been able to calculate
the equipment and strength of the
Red Army patrols. He says they
have two automatic Bren type rifles
for every 10 men, two telescopic-
sighted rifles for every 10, one ma
chine gun for every 10, an average
of five grenades for every 10 and
one grenade thrower for every 40
men. This he considers the highest
equipment for soldiers he has ever
seen. He added, $50 far the best
equipment and ammunition we have
got from any foreign power is from
Russia, and we generously give it
back but in a different way"
Soldiers Life Rigorous.
Life here is rigorous The soldiers
daily routine is one or two hours of
patrol, then back to the headquart-
ers rut, where they sleep in a big
room for two or three hours, then
out again for an hour or two and
back for four. This goes on con-
tinuously, the men never getting out
of their clothes except to take Fin
nish steam bath every couple of