Evening star., 1918-04-18
Vigorous Action Would Meah
-
Reduced Pressure From Las
Bassee to Ypres.
KEEP GERMANS GUESSING
ABOUT POINT OF ATTACK
Army Officers Here Think Allies
Have Silently Gathered Men &.
for Heavy Blow. :.


In the heavy bombardment Of French
artillery from the Somme to the Oiss
Army officers here see indication Of full
illment Of Gen. Haigs assurance that
the French were fastening to aid Brik
ish troops.
It was pointed out at the time thss
this aid might be not only in the shape
Of reinforcements sent to the Flanders
front, but also in vigorous action in
the region Of the first German drive,
which would serve to relieve the Ger
man pressure on the lines between Il
Bassee and Ypres.
Would Keep Germans Guessing.
The activity of the French artillery
also might be the forerunner Of tie
long-delayed counter offensive OF the
French, 1t was explained, and the long
line along which the firing is taking
place seemed to support this view. Il
the French planned counter stroln
such activity would be admirably cal.
culated to keep the Germans guessing
about the exact point of attack. and
would compel them to defend long
front to resist the retaking Of the ter.
ritory they captured in the Somms 70
gion at such tremendous cost
Gen. Maurice's statement contained
in news dispatches. caused no less spec
ulation here than did the recent mes
sages Of Gen. Haig. The particular tus
terest in Gen. Maurice's statement lay
in his question. What has become ot
the reserves?" and in his statement that
"the French army 10 larger than oursr
In this reference to reserves. q point
the British would be most anxious 70
conceal. were these reserves really .ds-
pleted, in connection with references
in previous British statements 10 eeen
here q plan to keep the Germans guess
ing about the strength ana & iocstiSn g
to use them to best advantage. ~
Forces Now Available.
II WA noted today that in many c6
the English official statements an en-
PLANTATION of withdrawal has been that
''the enemy outnumbered US BY or p
to /. It is believed here that the Brit
ish alone have as many men now In
France as the Germans are using on
the western front. including. OF course.
the raw British troops rushed across
the channel since the present action
began, and Gen. Maurice states that the
French forces are even larger. q fact
which had not been known. The.
French have been singularly successfuAs
it was stated. in keeping the enemy
men they possess. OF course. Gen.
Maurice's statement may not apply en-
tirely to combatant troops.
The point that some Officers hers
make is that the allies are conserving
their man power to an unusual degree.
They believe that Gen. Foch has or.
dered certain points to be held only
until the cost has mounted to given
point, after which the British were
to fall back without further losses.
Hence they believe, that events soon
may disclose Gen. Foch has been gath
ering force under cover of silence for
telling blow. Z
point for a counter attack In tho
SomEse region would be from the south.
somewhere betweens Montdidier ana
Noyon. -
70 start an operation farther east
only would require larger mass OF
troops. but would mean fighting On
highly fortified territory. which the
Germans have occupied for many
months. while an attack on points the
Germans recently gained would coma
before they have had time to perfect
their more stable defenses.
Cannot Give Up Much More.
Just as the Germans in their first
drive were permitted to get within q
short distance of Amiens, and stopped
there as If by a stone wall, SO it is be-.
lieved that. Gen. Haig's strategy, cone
forming to Gen. Foch's plans. has per-
mitted the Germans to push forward to
present positions in Flanders, but that
from now on the Germans will find the
cost of any further advances much
higher. For it is admitted that the Brit
ish cannot afford the loss Of much moro
ground between Hazebrouck and Ypres.
German fighting for tha- last twenty
four hours, directed against the northern
and southern sides of the wedge they have
driven into the British lines, 1t was stated,
shows that the Germans realize that their
present position there. as before Amiens,
is dangerous unless they can widen tho
wedge Once their headlong onslaught 10
stopped, they will be left in positions
which will require large forces to defend
They will be in the same position as tho
French, once they lose the initiative. for
the French are using vast numbers Of
men south of Amiens to the Disc. to re-
sist any widening Of the breach In the
allied lines there. -