Evening star., 1939-12-31

From the cold tundras of the Arctic
Circle to the warm sands OF Arabia,
armies are marching, airplanes are
looming and people are being killed
without rhyme or reason as 1899 goes
out.
Ever since the rifle was invented the
only use for that weapon in the Arctic
regions has been to kill reindeer or moose
to feed the people of that sparsely popu-
lated area This year, for the first time
In centuries, gunpowder is being used
there to kill men; guns and machine
guns are barking and spreading death
among the soldiers of Finland and
Russia.
In these desert sections of Finland,
the armies of the Red dictator in the
Kremhn are making a serious effort to
make good the setbacks suffered by the
Red soldiers in Central and Southern
Finland. Things are not going we'll for
Stains soldiers. When they started the
invasion of Finland the world took for
granted that the Films would not be
able to make better showing than the
Poles, and that the independence of that
small nation would be thing of the
past in few weeks.
Now it is realized that the war
prophets were gravely mistaken. Whether
the Firms are better soldiers than the
Poles, or whether the Russians are much
inferior to the Germans. or whether the
geographical position Of Finland lends
itself to more adequate resistance is
immaterial. The fact is that unless
something totally unexpected happens,
the Firms are safe until next spring. In
the meanwhile, they will be able to OBJ
tain-so they believe-efficient support
from those powers which at first refused
to give 1t to them because they consid-
cred them lost before the fighting actu-
ally began.
What will happen after the winter is
over is too much to ask of the drawing
room, or even the military, strategist.
What appears certain to all military OBJ
servers is that Russia cannot conquer
Finland until the winter is past. And
in the spring they will have to make
much better showing than heretofore.
War Fought on Three Fronts.
The war is being fought on three
fronts: The Karelan front, the Ladoga
front in Central Finland in the vicinity
of the Torneo Railroad leading from
Sweden to Finland, and in the Arctic
Circle.
T[n of time
consists of IS first line Russian divisions
of 1900 men each-some 600,0 900 men in
all-against approximately $4,000 Firms
defending their country on the Karelian
front behind the Mannerheim Line, and
In the bleak North
The principal effort of the Russians
has been on the Karelian sector, in the
hope that surprise attack might shat
ter the resistance of the Firms and en-
able Russia's main weapon-propagand
to undermine whatever power might
be left among the Finnish people. In
this the Russians failed. The Karelian
neck is only so miles wide. 1t does not
permit the deployment of large force
and does enable the defenders to resist
an attack with smaller means than the
aggressor. The Red divisions have failed
to bulge the Firms intrenched in that
region.
When all hope Of smashing the Fin
nish Army by frontal attack failed
and military observers maintain that
this is task which not even the French
or the Germans would undertake light
heartedly-they decided to turn the Fin
nish defenses by attacking from north
of Lake Ladoga. Here they came up
against the actual Mannerheim Line
a chain of fortified positions protected
by hundreds of lakes and marshes.
After advancing into the country on an
80-mile stretch, 10 miles deep, the Rus
sian offensive died The army, composed
of about six divisions-reliable detailed
information is lacking because the Red
Army does not give it even to their
German allies-attacked the Firms in
Central Finland. They advanced some
so miles, driving toward the railroad,
and occupied Salla-a village pompously
called town. The occupation Of Salla
O4A AAOt Anoe 4OAl6' AAAC ! 0AAAAoA1 o4VOPo,
mostly reserve men, drove the Red
troops back and reoccupied the objective.
Soviet Checked Everywhere.
In Northern Finland 1000 Firms are
still opposing the efforts of four Russian
divisions in the Petsamo region. They
are fighting chiefly rear-guard actions
and waging a guerrilla warfare. The
country is sparsely populated and the
Russian airplanes can do but little dam
age Their activities are confined to
accommodating operations and these are
difficult, too, because the Finnish units,
dressed in white coats, can conceal
themselves in the snow.
This, in short, is the picture of the
Soviet Finnish war up to date. The
Russians are checked everywhere. The
severe winter has started and will make
large-scale operations impossible until
next spring In the meantime, the Firms
are endeavoring to purchase, in this
country as well as in Europe, airplanes,
anti-aircraft guns. tanks and anti-tank
guns. Volunteers from all parts of the