NEWS OF THE WEEK
IT would be foolish to pretend that the loss of Koivisto, the fortress to the west of the Mannerheim Line, whose guns have so long enfiladed the Russian forces in the Isthmus, is not a serious blow to the Finns. But it is very far from being a fatal blow. Fortified positions of at least equal strength to those in the sector whose evacuation was necessitated by the fall of Koivisto, had been prepared and have now been occupied. The defence line as a whole has been shortened in consequence, a consideration of some importance in view of the urgent need for economy of men on the Finnish side. But the Russian attacks are continu- ing with unabated intensity, and there is no respite for the worn-out defenders. But help from outside is beginning to arrive. Aircraft from Britain are in increasing numbers challenging the Russian superiority in the air, Canadian volun- teers have reached Finland, and some Swedish volunteers have taken their places in the front line in the Arctic region. Quantitatively this amounts to little, but the moral effect in encouraging the Finns will be considerable. Moreover, now that the stream of reinforcements has begun to flow, it will not stop. If the weather breaks sufficiently to immobilise the Russians on the Isthmus the Finns are justified in hoping that some turn of events, either in Russia or elsewhere, may still save them.
