Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-12-27
Finnish Ski Troops Reported
DRIVING Into Russia to Sever
Reds Vito| MurmQnsk Railroad
Soviet Forces Are
Reported Messing
For New Drives
BY the Associated Press.

COPENHAGEN, Dec. q. - A
picked battalion of Finnish ski
troops TODAY was reported driving
through Russia about lis miles
north of Lake Ladoga and east OF
Lieksa in an attempt to cut Russia's
vital Murmansk railroad.
Russian forces on the Arctic
Ocean front and other northern Sec
tors receive most of their supplies
over this railroad. which runs from
so to $50 miles east of the border.
At the same time, fresh Soviet
legions under the command OF Jo-
seph Stains personal friends were
reported by Finnish sources to be
massing for new smashes against
the Firms.
The Firms said on Monday that
their troops had crossed the frontier
into Russia near LiekSa.
Firms Collect War Material.
From the Finnish Norwegian Dor
der came reports that advancing
Finnish troops in Far Northern Fin
land were collecting large quanti-
ties of war material abandoned by
retreating Russians between Nautsi
and Hovhenjarvi. Included were
many Russian tanks stalled in the
snow.
With the temperature still 4 be-
low zero Fahrenheit. the woods east
of Kemijarvi, Central Finland, were
reported full of Russian deserters
and wounded.
In oil sectors the Firms were said
to be preparing for the new Rus
sian thrust they expect will come
in an attempt to regain some of the
prestige lost in recent weeks.
Indications of the new thrust were
seen in the reported gathering of
new Russian troops.
On the heels of reported Finnish
drives as much as so miles in some
sectors, the Finnish northern army
headquarters said 100000 picked Red
Army soldiers were being massed to
counteract recent retreats.
The Russians have lost 1000 men
in the subzero cold of the Arctic
fighting the last three days, dis
patches from the Finnish headquar-
tiers said.
Russian strategy was foreseen by
military observers to be renewed
drive to cut Finland in half along
the ''waistline" and campaign near
Hoyhenjarvi, south of the Salmi-
jarvi mining region. where the Red
Army was reported last week in
hasty retreat.
Firms Set for New Drive.
The Finnish Army. which in the
last three days reported throwing
Russians back so miles in the CEN
trail Salla district, was getting set
for a new drive on the Kemijarvi
Railroad. The Soviet campaign was
seen by the Firms as headed for
the Swedish border at the Gulf of
Bothnia.
Although outnumbered, the Fin
nish command counted on the Bit
ter Arctic weather, as well as mill
tary strategy, to withstand the ex-
'pected attack.
Gen. Kurt M. Walenius, northern
forces commander, was quoted as
saying the Firms generally faced
Russian division of about $4,000 men
with battalion of about 60O
A Finnish communique yesterday
said the Soviet forces left 700 dead
on the ice of Lake Suvanto on the
Karelian Isthmus in a clash in
which Soviet tank, airplane and ar
tillery units engaged.
The Firms fought back fiercely as
the Russians struck simultaneously
at the eastern side of the isthmus at
Haitermaa, Sakkola, Kreija and
Volossula. the communique reported.
Claim % Planes Shot Down.
Sixteen Russian machine guns
were among military prizes of the
day in the Suvanto section, the
Firms reported, adding that % Soviet
planes were shot down.
Only 5000 citizens of Viipuri,
near the Karelian Isthmus front,
were said to be left of the citys
population of 10000 following a
Smelling by.long-range Russian ar
tillery The damage was reported
as slight.