Evening star., 1940-02-10
Reds Massed Drive
Repu|sed for Ninth
Day, Firms Report
All Assaults Are Thrown
Back With Big Losses,
Command Declares
BY the Associated Press.

HELSINKI, Feb. 10.-The Red
Army's massed offensive on the
Karelian Isthmus was continued for
the ninth successive day. the Firms
reported tonight, but all assaults
we're thrown back with heavy losses.
Russian infantry continued to at
tack with undiminished vigor and
with heavy artillery and tank sup
port, but nowhere were the Finnish
lines broken, declared the high
command.
Tonight's communique reported
destruction yesterday OF 80 enemy
tanks, making total Of u destroyed
s0r captured tn two days. It also
reported four Russian planes shot
down.
Although the heaviest assaults
were on the Karelian Isthmus.
where the Red Army has made its
main efforts to break through, the
Firms reported that the Russians
lost 300 men killed northeast of
Lake Ladoga, site of another long
continued battle
The communique also announced
that according to confirmed re-
ports, Col. Borisoff, commanding
the 11th Russian Division, was
killed in fighting on February g."
There were no further details and
no indication why a colonel should
have been in command of a division.
Shells Dropped From Planes.
Artillery shells and hand grenades
replaced bombs in Russian warplane
attacks and Firms fought with bay
onets instead of bullets as heavy
fighting apparently depleted supplies
of both nations.
Films reported today that shells
of all sizes were being dropped from
planes on Finnish positions in the
war zone. They said the use of shells
indicated a shortage of bombs,
which was believed to be the reason
for a slackening of air attacks on
civilian Finland.
The only home area reported
bombed yesterday was Hanko, south
western part, where Is bombs were
dropped but no casualties were re-
ported.
Fierce Fight on Isthmus.
Fierce fighting wass reported yes
terday on the Karelian 1sthums,
where wave after wave of Russians
advanced on Finnish posts but were
reported repulsed in savage bayonet
and hand-grenade encounters with
the Firms.
Finnish officers reported the Red
Army had advanced in such great
numbers that ammunition supplies
temporarily were exhausted faster
than replenishments could be rushed
to the front.
Soviet infantrymen pushed against
the Firms in the Summa sector,
military observers said, in a des-
perate effort to break the thus far
impregnable Mannerheim fortifica-
tionS.
Despite losses which the Films
placed in the thousands, the Rus
slams were attempting to batter
down resistance by the sheer weight
OF numbers.
(The Russian communique said
repeated Finnish attempts to
recover lost positions in the
Karelian lsthmus were repulsed
with heavy losses for the enemy.
Soviet airplanes successfully
bombed military objectives.')
Artillery fire was reported through
out the isthmus front. Russian
wounded were left on the field,
Finnish advices from the front said,
due to an apparent breakdown in
the Soviet transportation system
that made difficult the removal Of
casualties to hospitals.
Finnish military observers were
mystified by the letup In recent days
of Russian air attacks. Air raid
alarms sounded at Turku yester-
day. but no Soviet planes were re-
ported sighted elsewhere.
Heaviest fighting on the Karelian
front was between PunnunjoH and
Panuri, on the central section. The
Firms estimated Russian losses at
more than TOO, but made no men
ton Of their own.
In the far north the Russians
we're reported hurled back in an at
tempt to take Hoyhenjarvi, south OF
the Petsamo district. and Finnish
patrols broke through enemy lines
at Salmijarvi, nickel mining district
and scene Of previous Russian set
hacks.
A