Evening star., 1940-02-12

had little influence on the tide of
battle, although they stress their
own lack of planes for combat.
I'VE hope we get planes, and then
we'll eliminate that nuisance" one
omcer said.
Russian troops, charging in wave
after wave, have sustained some
attacks 6 and 10 hours, the Firms
said, but other onslaughts have
been brief. They said there had
been some hand-to-hand fighting,
but that was between patrols,
chiefly, because the Russian infantry
could not approach close enough to
the main Finnish lines.
A slackening of Soviet activity to
the east and west Of Summa yes
terday was regarded by FinniSn
omcers as sign the Russian often
sive cannot be kept up much longer
unless reinforcements arrive. Red
Army tactics, it was believed, con-
template q shift from costly frontal
attacks to another attempt to skirt
the Finnish line across Karelia.
r, Within Mile Of Summa.
I went Saturday night to within
about a mile Of summa to see Is
nearly as possible at first hand how
the Finnish lines are withstandins
the pressure of Red Army infantry,
artillery and mechanical attack.
For 80 minutes en- route our party
took refuge In a dugout while g.
inch shells, falling within so yards,
ratified the snug shelter. Audible
also were the boom and whine of
occasional howitzer and trench NOR
tar fire.
The officer with me said the she'll
ing often was at the rate of two q
second In an area Of about $50 square
yards. heard and counted 106
bursts in one minute yesterday.
To proceed would have taken us
into the thick Of the fighting in the
hilly area through which the Man
nerheim Line runs amid forests and
clearings. The onlcer deemed it
best not to 60 further.
While we waited in the warm,
rug-lned shelter our guide an
swered the French-type field tele-
phone four times and said he was
told Of four frontal attacks by Soviet
tank units, all Of which, he said,
were repulsed.
Portable Shield Captured.
We saw one Of the portable steel
shields, many of which we were
told had been captured and now are
used for protective lids on the Finn
ish trenches.
The one we saw was not more
than 2 feet high and shaped like
a snowplow, with 4 hole at the top
for q rife. Others were described
as larger, used for machine guns
and-fastened on slkis-as . mobile
barrier behind which the Russians
rode into battle.
Foot troops, We were told, crawled
on the ground behind the shields,
but they made ineffective armor.
1T was like the slaughter Of cattle"
the onicer declared. Our men killed
thousands"
He did not speak Of Finnish
losses, saying only that morale was
nigh and that II Finnish wounded
complain, "it's not because they suf-
fer, but because they cannot keep
fighting"
The Finnish officer paid tribute
to crews Of the Red Army's tanks,
but disparaged its artillerymen. He
said the Russian artillery, emplaced
far behind the lines, was not very
accurate or effective, but that the
tankmen were trained highly, difn-
cult to combat and "very brave"
Through Dark Forest.
Reaching the front from the re-
serve line meant crawling into 4
dark forest In which the blaclkness
was pierced only by the lightning.
like flare Of bursting shells.
Cropping along crouched over to
avoid q chicken-wire camoufiage
covered with snow and evergreens
and feeling among the trees for
sticks which blazed our narrow
train, we came to q hill which we
climbed with the aid Of ropes to
reach sled.
The driver and our white-caped
guide sat in front with me, and my
newspaperman companion perched
on straw behind with our legs tucked
in to keep from dangling over the
narrow sides. A fifth man sat on
the rear. We had to clasp our
ankles to hold our balance q we
twisted along the narrow way.
There was . little more room on
the way back becauss the horse had
eaten part of the straw.