Evening star., 1940-01-29
FinIond
Continued From First Page)

craft batteries which encircled the
city.
The first alarm in Helsinki walled
at Gas am and was lifted at 11:10
am. The second came 20 minutes
later and lasted to noon.
Finnish officials said the Russians
had bombed 10 localities in Uusimaa
Province-Helsinki County-in Savo
Province in the north and also
a coast town on the Gulf of Bothnia
yesterday. They said $50 bombs
were dropped, but that casualties
and material damage were slight.
Enemy airmen again revealed
brutal methods" an official state
ment declared, "in one instance,
machine cunning worshtpers as they
were leaving church in a small
village, also machine cunning one
hospital and passenger train. One
bomb fell on the roof of a hospital,
but did not cause serious damage"
Pounded by Red Artillery.
Soviet Russian field guns were re-
ported to be pumping thousands of
shells into Finland's Karelian
1sthmus defenses, apparently to re-
lieve the hard-pressed fragments of
four Red divisions on the Lake
Ladoga front.
On the basis Of Finnish advices
from the wilderness of snow and
ice north Of Lake Ladoga, the Rus
sian offensive aimed at Finland's
main defenses on the isthmus, or
Mannerheim Line, appeared to be
faltering and shaping into a retreat
with extremely heavy losses.
The Finnish headquarters COM
munique last night said Russian
attacks in the Ladoga region were
weaker" Saturday. although "the
enemy's losses in killed mounted in
the course Of the day to some hum
dreds."
One Red Unit Surrounded.
One large group of Russian
troops was reported unofficially to
be surrounded near Kitela, on
Ladogas northern shore, virtually
without food, depending for saliva
ton on the progress of another unit
trying to. reach Kitela from the
northeast.
But the relief unit itself was said
by Firms to be blocked 20 miles
from its destination. Railway COM
munication there had been cut and
Finnish infantrymen lay in wait.
A reliable source said an officer
captured when a Russian plane
made a forced landing near Kitela
disclosed that the plane had been
sent to rescue the commander of
Russian units in that sector.
An army officer returning to
Helsinki from the isthmus front
said artillery fire had been intense
during the last three days. Russian
guns, he said. would drop close to
5000 shells in one sector and then
the fire would shift to another.
Finnish artillerymen, returning
the fire, were said to nave scored
several direct hits, including one
on a field kitchen serving Red
troops.
The Finnish high commands COM
munique issued tonight on yester-
days activities follows:
Land: On the CKarelian) isthmus
nothing new.
Northeast of Lake Ladoga fight
ing became very fierce in character.
Our troops repulsed all the enemy's
attacks and captured few enemy
strong points. In the days fighting
enemy losses were about 300 killed
and 160 taken prisoner. Our troops
destroyed four tanks and one
armored car and captured guns,
Is machine-guns and an abundance
OF other weapons. An enemy column
OF 100 horses was destroyed.
I'm the Aittojoki sector enemy de-
tachments attempted a turning
movement but were thrown back.
The enemy left over $50 dead on the
field.
"On other sections of the land
front nothing new.
Air: On January % .minor air