military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (12/09/89)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) Sunday, 10 December, 1939 The first Canadian troop convoy sails from Halifax, under heavy escort. In the Gulf of Bothnia, the Soviet submarine S-1 mistakenly sinks the German freighter SS Bolheim. The Battle of Kollaa ends north of Lake Ladoga, as the Finnish forces halt the Soviet advance there. Another attack against the Mannerheim Line fails. The Finnish Air Force claims that bombing has destroyed a column of Russian troops and tanks, as well as an armored train. A Finnish broadcast appeals to the world for help against the Soviet invasion. The US approves a $10 million line of credit for "agricultural surpluses and and other civilian supplies," and plans a similar arrangement for Norway. Where it once seemed certain that the USSR would be expelled from the League of Nations, the issue is now far from certain, as states neigboring on the Soviet Union express their reluctance to vote for expulsion. References: C.Argyle, _Chronology of World War II_ J. Piekalkiewicz, _Tank War 1939-1940_ R.Dupuy and T.Dupuy, _The Encyclopedia of Military History_ C.Salmaggi and A.Pallavisini, _2194 Days of War_ C.Messenger, _Atlas of World War Two_ The New York Times, daily editions Time magazine Newsweek -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@cbnews.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "We believe the civilized nations of the world will not leave us alone against an enemy more numerous than ourselves." - Vlinoe Hakkila, Speaker of the Finnish Diet.