Evening star., 1939-12-19
Reds Bombs Fall
Horm|essIy in
Outskirts
By THOMAS F. HAWKINS.

BY IHOMAS r. HAWKINS,
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
HELSINKI, Dec. 19.-At least two
Soviet bombers and possibly more
were doWned today during an air
raid in which II bombs were dropped
on Helsinki suburb without DAM
age.
Seven Russian planes roared over
Helsinki, hiding behind cloudbanks
from volleys of anti-aircraft fire.
They disappeared to the north
west, and later only three were
sighted returning.
The bombs dropped harmlessly in
fields outside suburban Malmi
When the air raid sirens sounded
residents of the capital poured
quickly from restaurants and stores
into shelters. Within three minutes
the streets were cleared except for
air-raid wardens, soldiers and an oc-
casional straggler.
Streets Back to Normal.
The all clear signal was sounded
at 1918 pm. Two minutes later the
streets were crowded again. Ped
oilers OF silvered evergreen branches
were back at their posts. Big de-
partment stores were thronged with
Christmas shoppers, and the nor
NAL wartime tempo of life in the
capital was resumed.
AS the populace started for the
shelters anti-aircraft shells could be
seen bursting above the capital.
The boom of guns. however, sound
ed as if they were about mile away.
There were occasional bursts of
machine-gun fire.
In one small shelter $50 persons
sat calmly on mattresses or stood
and chatted
An observer outside reported see
Ing one pilot jump from a plane
which was wobbling as if hit.
The Finnish composer Uuno Klami
phoned a newspaper that he had
seen plane fall several miles from
Helsinki. The invading aircraft ap-
parently were flying at about 5000
feet
In another .Helsinki shelter about
$50 persons gathered, among them
Charles J. Leisio who lived in Chi
cago for 20 years before returning
to his homeland in 1898.
Women Keep Watch.
In a tower outside woman look
out called None in sight" after
the all-clear signal. With five other
women and two men she kept field
glasses trained on the sky for raid
ers.
Oflcials only today had issued
warnings against civilians returning
to the capital because of the air
raid danger
Finland's last Minister to Moscow,
Baron Aarno Yrio-Koskinen, ar
rived in Helsinki last night after a
roundabout journey through Ger
many
From the far north came reports
OF heavy fighting today in the Pet
samo area south of Kuotsjarvi.
Soviet planes raided Eastern Fin
land yesterday from the Karelian
1sthmus north to the Kymi Valley.
Firms said one hospital had been
machine-gunned, but no casualties
were reported. One woman was said
to have been killed in nearby vii
lage.
Perfect Flying Weather.
Perfect flying weather-a break in
the overcast skies that had pro-
tected Helsinki since the first three
days of the war-aided the attack
ers.
parachute was sighted as the
raiders were repulsed. but whether
II carried flyer from a stricken
ship or a bundle of propaganda
leaflets could not be discerned.
A Red Army bombing squadron
flew over Viipuri. Finland's second
city, on the Karelian Isthmus, yes
teroay. One plane was shot down.
The city was not damaged.
On land, the Finnish high COM
mand reported the invaders were
turned back on the east central
front and in the Karelian area.
Stockholm newspapers said
Finnish forces routed $1,000
troops on the shore of Lake
Kianta, east of Suomussalimi
ana about IS miles inland from
F1nland's western frontier. At
the Petsamo Arctic front. dis
patches from Bergen, Norway.
said 300 Russians were lured
into a trap set by the Finns.)
Eleven planes were reported