Evening star., 1940-01-07
Five Weeks Of War
Reveal Remarkable
Finnish Achievement
Russian Losses in Dead
And Wounded Put
Well Above 100000
Nv LELAND STOWE,


Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
ISINKI, Jan. 6-The Russo
Finnish war is now five weeks old
and summary of these five weeks
reveals a truly remarkable military
achievement by Finland's gallant
little army. In this period, eight
Red Army divisions have been
stopped on the Kareltan Isthmus:
q total OF seven more Russian divi-
sions have been thrown back at
every vital point on the 750-mile
eastern front, and Soviet losses in
dead and wounded today certainly
exceed 100000 men. In COMPARE
son, the Finnish casualties have
been very small.
When they finally are told in full,
these initial accomplishments by the
Finnish forces will seem almost in
credible and will constitute a bril-
liant chapter in modern military
history. 1t is sufficiently striking,
however, to state that Moscow has
employed more than 100000 men in
18 divisions-perhaps nearly 100000
men, counting badly needed re-
placements-and that one out OF
every four or five Soviet soldiers has
been a casualty.
Soviet Paying Tremendous Price.
After a study of five weeks war
communicates; after consultation
with foreign military observers, and
after visiting both the Karelian
Isthmus and the lower eastern front,
one must conclude that the price the
Kremlin has paid. for major blow
to the Red Army's prestige looms
tremendously high. Only an esti-
mate of the Russian losses in man
power can be made. But with ex-
treme conservatism, it can be stated
considerably more than $4,000 Soviet
soldiers have been killed since No
vember 30 and that their casualties
are much higher than the number
of their dead. To appreciate the
meaning of these figures, one need
only consider that local French
losses for the first three months OF
war on the western front have been
officially placed at about 1,50O.
Briefly, the war situation now
stands as follows:
The only Russian advance OF any
size has been made, where 1t counts
the least, in the Far North There
the Reds have progressed SO miles
from the Petsamo-Rovaniemi road
as far as Lake Vagattem. In Central
Lapland the Red troops have only
broken through about 20 miles to
Lake Kuola. After driving into the
Suomussalmi region, the Russians
now have been driven back north
and south there, almost to their
own frontier.
Fighting on Russian Soil.
At the next important point to
the south the invading Soviets have
been pushed back so severely that
they are now fighting on Russian
soil, east OF Kuhmoniemi and
Lieksa. At the lower end Of the
eastern frontier the Reds have lost
most Of what they gained near
Lakes Agla and Tolva. The latter
battle line runs from Lake Vegarus
down to Kitela, on the northeast OF
Lake Ladoga. Along the shores OF
Ladoga the Russians have managed
to hold their gains. As for the
Karelian Isthmus, they are piling up
more and more losses Of men by
their constant, unavailing hammer
ing against the Mannerheim Line.
Thus, in five weeks Of savage
fighting, the Red Army has accom-
plished little more than to pile up
staggering losses of men, materials
and prestige. Their one long-term
advantage may be how much they
have seasoned their inexperienced
troops and how many military les
sons they may have learned by the
time the Frost King permits the war
to be waged with greater mobility
and severity.
Copyright, 1910. By
Chicago Daily News, Inc.)