Evening star., 1939-12-13
Arms and Ammunition
Held Finn Army's
Greatest Need
Food on Hand for Year,
But Troops Must Have
Additional Weapons
By COL. FREDERICK PALMER.

The most significant word that
comes from Finland is that her SOL
diers are already conserving their
ammunition. A clip of rifle bullets
Is worth more to them than a sack
of flour, rifle more than a carload
Of wheat and machine gun with
plenty Of ammunition more than a
trainload of refrigerated beef.
Unlike the Belgians in the World
War, the Firms are not yet under
the iron heel of military aggression
which will subject them to starva-
ton rations. According to all ua-
thoritative Finnish sources, their
cry from the heart is for the means
with which to fight in order to save
them from having to feed horde
OF hungry conquerors.
Everyone who has been in Fin
land knows how well fed as well as
thrifty they are. OF late years they
have 50 increased their own food
production that they are almost
self-sustaining, and partially cancel
food imports with some food ex-
ports.
This years harvests are already
IN the bin and stocks of dried fish
from Arctic and Baltic Seas in store.
The myriad lakes can supply more
even in winter. For meat, there are
many cattle and pigs and the big
herds of reindeer in the North,
Without any food imports, no man,
woman or, child need have hunger
unsatisfled until late next summer
at least.
Adequate Arms Lacking.
The truth is that Finland lacked
adequate arms to meet the demand
when Russia struck her sudden blow
There were enough rifles for little
more than half of the relatively
small numbers of her man-poWer
which could be called into action.
She was weak in field guns and
pltifully weak in machine guns, not
to mention tanks or planes. Her
regular service rifle was Russian
World War pattern, a good one for
Its time. Only few other picked
troops are armed with modern
semi-automatics
Her army must make the most of
what arms it has with courage, skill
and teamwork. She depends mostly
upon imports for her arms. Her
ammunition plants are by no means
able to meet the daily requirements
once her reserves are exhausted.
Sweden has excellent arms plants
within reach across the Gulf of
Bothnia and by rail. Beyond that a
FAR larger source is accessible. Brit
ain and France speeded their output
OF arms and ammunition long before
the war, and drove their plants
under still heavier pressure after it
began.
France has seen little fighting on
the western front. British troops
have only just been inducted into
the trenches under first line fire.
Both Britain and France must have
made sure of huge supply of arms
to replace arms wastage and suff1-
cient ammunition to repel the an
ticipated German offensive.
supply Route Still Open.
Out of the huge accumulation,
while output far exceeds daily de-
mands, the allies could easily spare
a small proportion, which would be
huge reinforcement for Finland,
who need not ask for it as bounty
since her credit is still good.
The way Is open across the North
Sea by ship to Sweden and then
across Sweden and into Finland for
prompt transport without crossing
the Gulf of Bothnia. At present
according to authoritative Finnish
sources here, two Russian subma-
rines are in the Gulf of Bothnia
between Sweden and Finland. They
got through from the Baltic before
the Firms and Swedes laid mine
fields across the entrance to the
gulf.
How will the two return to the
Baltic for more torpedoes after
they have fired all that they carry?
One Of their torpedoes apparently
sunk the German ship Bollheim.
But what is this mistake between
friends? The Bremen enjoyed the
hospitality of neutral Russian
Murmansk as a refuge, before her
safe run back to a German port.
Under this Soviet German under
standing whose true nature is more
than ever matter of guesswork
to those not in the totalitarian
secrets.
Main Thrust to Sever Finland.
The Soviet effort to flank the
Mannerheim Line by way of Lake
Ladoga and various thrusts along
the Russo-Finnish frontier may be
regarded merely as covering diver
sions for the obvious main thrust
across the narrow part of Finland
to cut her in two. Thus, reaching
the head of the Gulf of Bothnia and
severing the railroad to Sweden. If
Russia also has control of the gulf.
she will cut Finland off from the
rest of the world.
Though Finland has made a
thriving modern town of Petss no,
she can afford to lose i4er Arctic