Helsinki, Feb. 25.
Using tanks and snow ploughs, tens of thousands of Russians struck at the Mannerheim defence in the snow and fog like gray ghosts with their faces muffled in hooded helmets yesterday, but were met with strong Finnish resistance, which reports from the front said, held the Reds.
'A Finnish communique said that 3,000 Russian troops were kiled during Friday's furious attacks on all fronts in Finland. Russian attacks were repulsed near Koivisto, the islands off the Viipuri archipelago, Yla-Somme and at Kaemaerae, the communique said.
Two Russian detachments were trapped east of Lake Muola inside the Finnish lines and about 2,000 Reds were killed.
Finnish counter-attacks repeated Red attacks in the Taipale region, the communique continued. Northeast of Lake Ladoga Russian troops were repulsed and retreated, leaving 1,000 dead and fifteen tanks on the field of battle, it claimed.
There was sharp patrol fighting in the Kuhmo sector, the communique said. Three hundred and fifty Russians were killed in this sector, it was claimed. For the first time in weeks the Russians renewed their attacks in the Salla sector, the communique revealed, but they were repelled.
It was estimated that the Russians had suffered 86,000 killed during the 25-day drive toward Viipuri. The communique claimed that two Russian planes were shot down on Friday.—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.