NEWS OF THE WEEK
SOME ten days ago it was feared that the courageous Finnish resistance was at length proving unavailing against the overwhelming superiority of the Russians in num- bers and in offensive weapons. But within a week the whole position was reversed by a combination of masterly strategy at headquarters and the amazing tactical skill with which officers and men turned their knowledge of the country and their mobility to good account. In the Isthmus, in the extreme south, where the Russian forces are very strong, the plan was to hold the enemy, or to draw back to the pre- pared positions very slowly, and to counter-attack when the decisive moment came. In the north, where Soviet forces were advancing southwards from Petsamo, and westwards in the Salla region threatening to cut the " waistline " in two, the Russian lines of communication in each case were extended and precariously held. With highly mobile detach- ments moving swiftly and almost invisibly on skis the Finns in each case fell upon the Russian flanks and caused a dis- orderly retreat. Simultaneously in the east, north of Lake Ladoga, they have pursued the enemy almost back to, and at one point over, the Russian frontier. It is a notable victory, achieved simultaneously on four main fronts, thanks to a combination of superior strategy, superior morale, know- ledge of the country, the weather, and the long-drawn-out, weakly established Russian communications. But the latest news is of a dangerous attack by the Russians on the narrow front between Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland.
