Evening star., 1940-02-15
Finland Calls Up
More Reserves;
$500 Reds Slain
Second CIuss-l8o6
MobiIized; Russians
Down Own PIune
BY the Associated Press.

=. BY the Associated Press.
HELSINKI, Feb. l5.-Finland to-
day called another class OF reserves
to the colors-the second in "a
hours-as furious fighting on the
Karelian Isthmus was reported to
have cost the invading Red Army
$500 dead.
The class of 1896-men 43 and a.
was called up for service against the
Russians, who sent squadron OF 27
planes droning over Helsinki today
to cause the capitals first air raid
alarm in weeks. No bombs were
dropped, however.
Instead. they were reported to
have roared to the town of Riihi-
maxi, about 20 miles north of Hell
sinki, and bombed it heavily, start
ing numerous fires.
A Finnish communique described
heavy fighting on the isthmus front,
now in its 18th day of battle, and
declared Russian attacks had been
repulSed on numerous sectors.
Reds Down Own Plane.
The Firms shot down 16 Soviet
planes yesterday and Russian flyers,
fighting among themselves, downed
one of their own aircraft. the COM
munique asserted without shedding
any further light on the incident
Finnish front line troops reported
they saw Soviet planes suddenly turn
against some of their own bombers.
A few moments later a Russian
bomber crashed behind the Finnish
lines.
A thousands Russians were killed
while attacking over the ice at Muo-
1ojarvi and $500 in series of blows
near Taipaie, at the eastern end of
the isthmus front.
In one of the attacks the Firms
said they captured two tanks, turned
them around and put them into i'm
mediate service against the Rus
slams. Thirteen Russian tanks were
said to have been wrecked alto
gether
Reds RepelIed at Summa.
On the Summa sector, where the
Russians have concentrated some of
their heaviest blows against the
battered Mannerheim Line, con-
tinued enemy attacks were repelled,
as were other assaults northeast of
Lake Ladoga, the communique said.
A supply column OF 100 vehicles
was reported DESTROYED on the
Ladoga front. -...
In the Kuhmo sector farther
north Russian detachments were
reported dispersed, more than 500
killed" and quantities of equipment
captured.
Night air raids on Soviet troops
incircling compfires and daylight
attacks on supply bases and troop
concentrations were said to have
been carried out.
Russian air activity in the war
Zone was described as "extraord-
inarily lively" and raiders went
behind the lines to bomb Viipuri
and Lappeenranta. After the bomb
attacks Russian pursuit planes were
accused of machine-gunning Firms
trying to extinguish fires.
Firms Admit Reverses.
Finland, avowedly with no choice
but to fight to the last man against
odds of SO to l, hoped that sue
cesses in the north might force
some diversion of Russia's trip
hammer blows on the forts of the
karelian Isthmus.
In the 10-mile strip of inferno at
6umma the Firms acknowledged
that relentless Russian assaults had
caused abandonment of some of
the Mannerheim Lines advance
Notifications.
"a Soviet Army communique
today reported capture of 16
more Finnish positions, bring
ing to 100 the number claimed
within a week. The Firms are
falling back with heavy losses"
the communique said)
The main line still holds, how
ever, the Firms reported, and every
where else, on the isthmus, north OF
Lake Ladoga and on Finlands
"waistline' front, the Finnish story.
was one of success.
Russians Pay Dearly.
The Russians bought the Summa
cutpOStS at high prices in men,
munitions and machines, the Firms
said. A communique related that
thousands of enemy fallen and
dozens of wrecked tanks" were
heaped before the Finnish lines.
Russian infantry still stormed over
the isthmus' shell-cratered fields of
snow to be met in many cases with
Finnish puukkos thunting knives) in
hand-to-hand combat to the crash
ing accompaniment of shells and
bombs.
The Flnns indicated hopeful belief
that the Red Army could not main
tain this terrific pace much longer
and that delivery of food and NUM-
tions through Leningrad to the Rus
slams massed on the narrow isthmus
must be an ever-increasing problem.
Added to this possibility were
Finnish reports that the 54th Rus
sian division was in serious trouble
(see FINNISH, Page A-60