Dec. 9.
With the conclusion of a week's fighting between Soviet Russia and Finland the latter has shown that whatever ideas the former had about the ease with which the Finns could be subjugated will have to undergo a severe modification, for the world is impressed by the sternness of the Finnish defence, and the comparatively small. progress which the Russian armies have been able to Take ayainst it. Hostilites started off with the. bombing of open Finnish towns by Soviet aeroplanes, causing considerable casualties amgnyst the civilian population, though it does not appear that this particular form of outrage was repeated too often, that being In all probability due to the fact that weather conditions have been against fying, rendering the alr arms of both sides idle, and consequently reducing the toll of civilian casually which otherwise the Finns might have suffered. 'The Soviet onslaught with all arms, in the Gulf of Finland, and along the whole Russo-Finnish border' up to the Barents Sea opened without any declaration of war, and It speaks well for the realistic view which Finnish leaders took of the wor= sening situation during the past few months that they were adequately prepared to meet invasion, and whatever advantage the Russians sought to obtain by suddenly taking ithe Initiative was modified by the very energetic defence which the Finns put The first claims to success which the Soviet put forward consisted of allegations coneerning the occupation of some of the islands which it has demanded in the Gulf of Finland, which the Helsinki Government very rightly chose not to defend, and the entry into Petsamo, in the extreme north of Finland. This latter: success was not of any lengthy duration, for the Finns rallied, and very. quickly threw out the invaders, nothing have been heard to the cei, would seem that they are still in possess jon of the port. Along the whole line from the northern coast down to the Gulf of Finland the Finns have maintained a stubborn resistance, fighting in outposts of the Man. nerheim line, inflicting considerable damage lupon: their enemy and up to the present not having to retire into their permanent defence works White the telegrams which have been re~ edivedl fail to give a very clear idea of the Strategy of the Soviet command, there is sufficient information available to' permit of conclusions being reached as to the lines which are being followed. There has been something in the nature of a demonstration
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.