Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-07-01
THE WAR AS IT STANDS.

desperate offensive is certain. The
utter failure of the Austrian drive
forces her hand The Italian front is
secure Il It's supplies are Kept up.
There Is only one path open to Ger
many. That leads toward Paris or the
channel ports SO the allies expect
great drive on the west lines and very
soon.
1t must be soon. Germany has the
strength and material with which 10
make it. She can strike now with some
hope Of success. American forces are
not yet great in Europe comparatively.
Perhaps 10000 Americans are there
but not all Of these are ready for the
front. The comparison Of strength
| must be made not numerically but on
the force of fighting men at the com
mand Of the opposing forces, The In
| fux Of Americans however forecasts
the heavy balance with the allies within
few months.
As the poker players would say Ger
many is under the gun. The bet is
checked UP TO her. She must win soon
or not at all. She knows it, the allies
know 1t and both know that the other
knows it. The war Is arriving at its
crucial stage.
The allies are playing the game
There Will be no response to the general
demand for an advance thru Austria
The allies will stand pat on the hand
they hold. They will not take the i'm
| mediate chances Of an advance when
every day shows an accumulation of
| power for the allies and a correspond
| ing decrease Of power and narale Of the
central powers, They will wait until
the United States Is In well toward the
maximum. Then we may expect the
allied forces to mop up" And that is
good strategy and good sense.
The iniative Is thrust upon Germany.
It Is different iniative than that which
:. =
drive had behind it the value Of sur
prise. the full confidence OF Germany
that It would succeed and that the war
would be over In a German victory
within a few weeks. Now Germa ny's
drives are forced under a desperate out
look. They have no advantage OF sur
prise, no assurance Of success They
lack the morale Of nation behind them.
Germany must attack like a cornered
rat, not as an army of conquest. The
| Hun Is cornered.
There Is no more reason to expect
German success In the coming drive
than in those previous ones all Of which
have failed to attain a definite and ad-
vanta geous objective No doubt she Is
recruiting from the released German
prisoners of Russia but she has been
recruiting every man all along. She
can not bring into action the divisions
that lie along the miles she paid for so
| dearly. The process Of attrition has not
ceased since Germany crouched and
ran from the Marne but has intensified.
In this new drive it is safe to assume
that the forces will be practically equal.
II that is so the advantage will be with
the defense for many more men are re-
quired for assault than for defense.
The allies are in excellent position and
are improving it daily. Germany has
| no advantage of supplies and guns. The
victory on the Piave following the sue
cess of the Picardy check has lifted the
morale and the spirit Of the allied
armies On the other hand it has had
an opposite effect And today the allied
forces are as well differed as the Ger
mans. The so years OF German prep
aration told at the outset bull four years
| of such schooling as war gives bis made
allied officers and men veteran scien-
tific fighting machines equal to any in
the world.
Germany has until November to
break her waves Of assault against the
allied lines. Winter begin the final act
lof the war drama; for when activity