Saturday, December 21, 2013

December 21, 1939; MANY SUFFER IN ATTACKS ON FINLAND:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, DECEMBER 21, 1939:





A German merchant ship, the Arauca, is shown as
it fled to the safety of United States territorial waters
off Fort Lauderdale, FLa, as a British cruiser sought
to seize it as a prize of war.  Shown in the foreground at
the left is the ARAUCA, awaiting, a pilot to take it into
Port Everglades. In the background, in the circle is the
British warship, remaining outside the 3-mile limit.

Score Of Cities Aad Villages Suffer
In Renewed Aerial Attack; Many
Reported Killed And Wounded

HELSINKI, Dec. 21 (AP)—Soviet Russian fliers in terrifying raids through the day bombed Helsinki and more than a score of cities and villages in southern and western Finland today and machine-gunned two trains. More than 30 bombs were dropped in the Helsinki hospital area. Only two persons were injured and none was killed in Helsinki, but many were killed or wounded elsewhere. Two persons were announced by officials to have been killed aboard the Turko-Helsinki Express.

Earlier, Russian planes bombed a hospital dormitory, heavily damaged a school for the, blind, and struck seven out of 10 other hospital buildings. Two hospital patients were among the injured, and some deaths were reported likely. This raid on Helsinki, coming on the sixtieth birthday of Joseph Stalin, the Russian leader, started at 11:58 a. m. (3:58 a. m., CST), and followed earlier attacks on towns for 25 miles around the capital.
It was, the third successive day of aerial attacks on Helsinki and vicinity.

Officials said not all the bombs dropped in the hospital area exploded, but the dormitory, a five-story structure of red brick, sustained a direct hit.
The bomb collapsed the roof and upper two floors.

Dutch Planes
Encounter
Foes In Air
AMSTERDAM, Dec. 21 (AP) -
Netherland planes fought an air battle with aircraft of undetermined nationality today in full view of hundreds of residents of Utecht.

The engagement started about noon (5:40 a. m., CST). The invaders were reported to have come from the east where the Netherlands borders Germany. A smoke curtain was dropped by the foreign fighters, who escaped under this protection. Heavy firing was heard from anti-aircraft guns and plumes of smoke from shells were seen.

An official of a nearby village reported sighting eight or nine planes, but other reports told of only two or-'three.

A .short time earlier three foreign" military planes had been sighted over Veluwe in the border province of Gelderland, which is north of Essen, Germany. Netherlands anti-aircraft batteries fired on the planes and they were chased by Netherlands air patrols.

 

Finland Seeks
U. S. Loan Of
50 Million

Republican Leader
Indicates Willingness
To Help

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (AP)—Reports that Finland is seeking a $50,000,000 loan from the United States government brought a statement from Senator McNary of Oregon, the republican leader, today that he would favor a substantial loan "for governmental purposes x x x in view of Finland's attitude in keeping her money covenants with this government."
Wall Street Refuses
While he did not define the phrase "for governmental purposes," McNary Indicated he doubted the wisdom of making a loan

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BUENOS AIRES. Dec. 21 (AP)---
A high Argentine official said today the nations of the Americas were making preparations to issue a joint declaration of sympathy for Finland in her stand against Russian invasion.
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which could be used to buy war materials for use against invading Russian armies.

 

 

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