Word: arctic
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Central Front. Russia's most potent threat to Finland came, not from the isthmus, but from four columns which penetrated the 485-mile frontier between Lake Laatokka and the Arctic Circle, striking westward at Finnish railheads and roadheads, trying to reach the Gulf of Bothnia. Last fortnight one of these columns was reported to have captured Kemijärvi and to be bearing down on Rovaniemi, which lies on Finland's Arctic Highway. Last week the Finns rushed troops north from the isthmus and in a surprise attack recaptured Salla, cutting this Russian column off from its base...
...Russians took the nickel-mining town of Salmijärvi, but not before the Finns had blown up the mines and set every shack afire. The Finns retreated towards Pitkajärvi, where they prepared themselves for a stand. At week's end fires burned in the Arctic night along...
...miles of the Finnish-Norwegian frontier, while all along that same line the desperate Finns were battling to delay the swift Russian advance. The Russians had cut off Finland's only outlet to the Arctic Ocean, were holding the northern end of the Arctic Highway, and were again threatening the Finnish supply lines from Sweden by a swift southward thrust on the highway...
Norway, like Sweden, rushed reinforcements of arms, men and supplies to her northernmost positions, which would be threatened by the Russian capture of Petsamo. But with neither roads nor railways to the Arctic, Norway could do little to protect her iron mines at Kirkenes or her garrisons at Vadso and Vardo. From this territory civilians were evacuated and refugee Finns sent southward to be cared for by the Government...
...Finland. Still farther north, a third column bore down on the roadhead of Kuusamo. Most daring of all, the fourth division crossed the low mountains to Kuolajärvi and thence sped westward past Kemijärvi toward Rovaniemi, which lies on Finland's highway to the Arctic. From Rovaniemi this column might strike southward to Kemi and Tornio, thereby commanding not only the Arctic highway but Finland's rail supply line from Sweden...