Dec 22, 1939; GERMAN FLEET MOVES INTO BALTIC AND NORTH SEA

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, DEEMBER 22, 1939:

Helsingfors, Dec. 22.—Crushingly defeated by hardy Finnish fighters, the Russian Red army was in disorderly flight today on all three fronts,-neutral observers report. Norwegian border reports said the retreat approached a catastrophe. The Finnish high -command reported Stalin's forces had been beaten back  on the southeastern front, to have been defeated heavily and forced to retreat on the north central front and to have been blasted back toward the Arctic coast by a Finnish counter-attack in the far north.

The Battle of Josef Stalin's birthday yesterday ended with terrific losses for the Soviet invaders. The chief Finnish victory was reported in the Salla sector, on the northern part of the eastern (central) front, where the Russian army was reported cut to pieces by Finnish counter attacks.

 

 

Paris, Dec. 22.—The newspaper Le Temps today quoted a reliable source as saying that the German fleet has left Hamra and that half of it was headed into the Baltic sea and the other half was steaming toward the North sea.

The portion of the fleet bound for the Baltic was going through the Kiel Canal the the newspaper said.

It was believed here the reported fleet movement was specifically a warning to the Scandinavian countries in connection with the organization of air for Finland. Sweden has sent volunteers to Finland.

Unofficial Finnish reports were that 37 Swedish airplanes were now in service with the "Finnish army and that almost 10,000 Swedes, who had been released from military service at home, were now in Finland.

Britain Routs

Coastal Attack

London, Dec. 22. (BUP)—German airplanes  renewed reconnaissance thrusts at the British coastal areas today, but-were fought off by Royal Air Force planes.

The Firth of Forth—important Scottish naval base—and the Suffolk coast were the main scenes of operations.

A British fighter engaged and chased a Heinkel bomber through the clouds off the Firth of Forth, and two unidentified planes, believed o be German, were sighted later on the eastern coast.

Persons on the cliffs along –the eastern shore reported four German planes off one eastern coastal point. British anti-aircraft gunfire shook houses in that district, and some people went to air-raid shelters.

The plane which headed north with a long trail of smoke behind it, disappeared in a dive. The others went southward

 

MERCILESS

Ruthless Red Aviators
Spray Trains With Death

By LELAND STOWE

Helsingfors, Dec. 22.; (Special CDN Cable)—Two Swedish writers reached here, last night, a few hours after five Russian airplanes successively machine-gunned two express trains -and a freight tram in south Finland. They confirmed, irrefutably, the fact that Red aviators; yesterday, adopted the .merciless strafing of civilians.

These eye-witnesses were; Alex Matson and Elsa Trolle. Both insist that it was i a miracle that many more were not injured, since almost every window in, .the second train was smashed by bullets.

"Five Soviet planes were returning to Estonia when they dived upon our train," Matson said. "After the first attack, the engineer stopped the train! and we all raced for the woods. But the planes swung back and sprayed bullets after us. Then they flew' back and forth shooting until the engine looked like a sieve.