Evening star., 1940-03-03
Fall Of viipuri
May Force Films
To AIier Strategy
Reds Would ImperiI Lines
On Center and Right Of
Munnerheim Front
By MAJ. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.

going on outside the city. Viipuri
is something more than mere
symbol of Finnish valor. It is
vital center of communications,
both road ana railway, and its loss
will be a serious blow for the Films.
First of all, it is necessary to re-
member that the Finnish railway
system in great part has been laid
out with strategical considerations
(Which to the Finnish general stan
means defense against Russia in
mind.
Behind the Mannerheim Line
there are two parallel lines OF rail-
way branching of from the
main line neutrality-suspicious.
grad. One leaves the main line at
Simola, running northeastward
along the shore of Lake Saimaa to
Sortavala, on Lake Ladoga. The
second leaves the main line at
Viipuri and runs (also northeast
warO by way of Hiitola to join the
first line about 30 kilometers south
west of Sortavala. At this juno
ton point a line coming from the
interior of Finland, through the lake
region. also comes in from the
northwest. These two parallel lines
are connected by the short line
from Imatra to Antres. Taken to-
gether, they form the main supply
lines for the Mannerheim defensive
zone; the first-named is also the
main supply line for the region
north and northeast of Lake Ladoga.
From Viipuri there also branches
out a short line to Valkjarvi, which
is the supply line for the center OF
the Mannerheim positions forward
zone. The Taipale sector, on the
extreme left, is supplied by another
line running out from the vicinity
Of Hiitola.
Roads Radiate From Viipuri.
AS for the road communications
of the isthmus, these all run out
like the spokes Of fan from Viipuri.
There is no major highway which
reaches the isthmus from any other
source, with the sole exception of
the road from Sortavala along the
shore of Lake Ladoga, which con-
meets with a main road penetrating
the lake region.
With Viipuri in Russian hands,
the Finnish communications on the
center and right of the Manner
helm position will be seriously i'm
periled or reduced in capacity.
With Viipuri in Russian hands,
the situation will be as follows:
The rail line along the shore of
Lake Saimaa, sided by the more cir
cuitous route through the lake re-
gion, will become the main line of
supply from the interior, both for
the positions of the Mannerheim
zone still holding out (thpse of the
center and right and for the region
north of Lake Ladoga. While rail
communication, supplemented by
secondary roads, will still be rea-
sonably adequate to support these
positions, they will be cut of from
all main highway routes except the
one through Hiitola, to reach which
requires a wide detour. Moreover,
If the Russians commence rolling
back the Firms from Viipuri toward
the line of the Vuoksi, the short
connecting line previously men,
toned will soon come under artil-
lery fire, after which all supplies
will have to 60 all the way round
via Hiitola. The Firms on the
isthmus will then be in the unen-
viable position always to be feared
by an army dependent on single
line of communications when faced
by an enemy superior in the air.
Firms May Withdraw Further.
But this is not all; If the Russians
can succeed in pushing forward
from Viipuri to Simola (only about
20 kilometers) or even far enough
to bring Simola under the effective
fire of medium artillery, they will
have cut all direct rail communica-
tions between the main industrial
region of Finland and the Manner
helm positions, and will have thrown
on to the railway from Peiksama
through the lake region the whole
burden of hauling supplies for the
tsthmus save such as can be moved
by road through the same dimcult
terrain. Then air concentration on
the narrow passage through the
lakes Vicinity of Savonlinns) where
rail and truck congestion would in
evitably occur, might have far
reaching and even completely disas-
trous consequences.
Under such threats, 1t has been
the usual military practice IN past
wars to withdraw the troops and
material from the threatened region
while communications still remained
available for the purpose. II the
Firms choose this course 1t means q
DELAYING action all along the lines
of the Vuoksi system OF waterways,
covering q withdrawal to a new line
between Lakes Saimaa and Ladoga,
and q second line between Lake Sal
maa and the Gulf of Finland. This
would require considerable improve
ment of the secondary roads'east OF
Lake Saimaa, which would become
vital for the supply of the first
named position. 1t would mean a
considerable lengthening OF the FIN
nish defense front as a whole at q
time when their shortage OF man
pcwer is already occasioning the
gravest anxiety. It would, therefore,