dateline London, Wednesday December 6th, 1939
Finland's high command claims that 64 Russian warplanes have been destroyed in three days fighting on the Carelian Isthmus. War communique #4 issued in Helsinki early today announced that 2000 Russian soldiers were killed in a single engagement. The Russians are accused of using dum-dum machine gun bullets -one tracer bullet in every 10 being a dum-dum. At Salmi, runs the Helsinki communique, there was heavy gunfire in the past three days. Eight out of 10 Soviet tanks were destroyed and many prisoners were taken. The prisoners are quoted as saying that they have been on service three months, but have had only one months regular training. They had been living in caves and had been told the war would only last five or six days.
Reported raid on Murmansk
The Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, carries report that Finnish bombing planes have raided the important Soviet naval base at Murmansk in the arctic.
Incendiary bombs are said to have been dropped, destroying 60 red warplanes.
The newspaper adds that the Russians were taken by surprise by the Finnish raiders.
The Russian newspaper Pravda states that the Finns attempted to bomb Leningrad, but that one plane was shot down and the others chased away. According to an unconfirmed report broadcast from New York, Finnish aeroplanes have also attacked Paldiski, the Soviet based in Estonia.
President Roosevelt announced that the installments of the Finnish debts to the United States (about 47,000 pounds), payable on December 15, will be placed in a suspense account. When Congress reassembles the President will ask that this installment, together with all payments made in the last 4 to 5 years, should be used in some way beneficial to Finland. Sweden yesterday called up 15 classes in a partial mobilization. Most of these men will be drafted to the Swedish-Finnish Border.
(I picked this up on eBay because of the wonderful timing and content..all the way from England!)