SECRET acquiesce. Even so there would be resistance from irregular guerrilla forces. (f) The Soviet leaders would not wish to provoke Finnish resistance more than was necessary. They would probably consider that their land and naval requirements would be met by the use of road and rail routes in the North and certain naval bases on the west coast of Finland. The airfields near these routes and bases would give a certain amount of protection against Allied bombers. Once Soviet forces had occupied ports on the east coast of Sweden the Soviet leaders would no doubt case the load on communications in Finland by shipping supplies across the Gulf of Bothnia, except from January to April, when it is ice-locked.