Around three sides of Karelia's crumbling capital Russian field artillery stood hub to hub, and under the torrent of shells they threw, the Red Army last week battered its way into Viipuri. Craftily the Finns fought their retreating battle, leaving small rear-guard detachments to hold up the advance while their main force fell back in good order. A ruined town makes the best of all fortifications, and as the Russians entered the outskirts of Viipuri, Finnish machine guns spat tellingly from the gaping windows of the all-but-demolished houses. The invaders had to occupy Viipuri block by burning block.
At week's end...
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