The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-03-23
War COUNCIL PLANS.
SUPREME MILITARY BODY OF AL
LIES HOLDS KEY TO WEST
ERN FRONT SITUATION.
O@cers Believe New Weapon Will
Mako Effective Plans OF Grand
Strategy.


Decision as to the time and place
OF major offensives by the Allies rests
with that body. IL directly controls
also. officers here believe. a new wea-'
pom forged during the winter with
which to make effective its plans Of
sfand strategy, The weapon is be-
lieved to lie In a pooling OF the army
reserves OF all the Allied armies. per-
mitting overwhelming concentration
at selected points of attack.
American observers are convinced
That the German high command plans
defensive campaign and that the
lcng talked of drive on Paris or the
channel ports has been abandoned.
The initiative. according to this view.
rests with the Allied and Americon n
forces.
The Supreme Council was created
under the urgent insistence Of Presi-
dent Wilson for aggressive action this
year, based on cooridnated plans and
snder the direction of a single agency.
The exact SCOPE of the councils au-
shorty has never been disclosed. IL
was said by Premier Lloyd George
ana by Lord Courzon. however. In
explaining the status Of the British
ifaperial general stafr. and the COM
p,ander In the field. Sir Douglas Haig.
that certain British forces had been
assigned To the councils control.
Decision by the council. officers here
believe. as to the field where these
and similar forces from other armies
are to be concentrated will show
whore Allied blows at the German
defenses are designed to fall. II there
10 TO be no German drive. as the war
department predicted yesterday in its
weekly war review. the council will
not be forced to hold its reserves for
defensive purposes. and can devote
this new agency to attempts to smash
weak points In the German lines.
Opinion al to the sectors Offering
the best opportunity for Allied as
maults varies widely here. There Is
substantial agreement. however. that
Tho Italian front may. in fact. be-
come the main theater OF war thus
year.
In any event. even though the su-
preme council might have decided to
make the effort to break through in
Italy, II Is believed the first moves
IN the game would be played in
france and Flanders.
The pooled Allied reserves under the
command or the supreme council
would make possible a campaign OF
Juch nature. designed to keep the
German command perplexed as to
what assault would be driven home.
In that position adequate German
forces OF selected troops would neces-
"ariy be held ready 70 support eith-
or line. and they must be held some
where In Germany. with ready trans
portation available in either direction
The theory OF pooled general re-
serves under cmmand of the supreme
eouncil has already appeared I'm the
Bi,ish press to some extent as the ex.
planation Of what has been said In
parliament
The political question OF how such
grand reserve may be handled ap-
peals to army officers as the most in
teresting question OF the day. Mobil-
ization Of a new interallied army OF
attack does not seem feasible, IL is
said. IL In pointed out. however, that
the report OF Sir Douglas Haig on op.
erationo I'm 1917 shows that the
scheme OF operations were upset TO
some extent when he was compelled
TO take over an additional section Of
the French front. freeing large
French army for participation in the
French offenslves OF that year.
This suggests that a similar prac-
tice might be adopted for obtaining
an army attack on any front. IL the
assault were TO be made I'm FIanders
the French reserves could take over
trenches now held by the British, cx-
cept on the sector of operations. Erit-
ish troops thus released would bc
available for purposes OF attack wi,h
their comrades I'm that sector. Ifai.
ditional reserves were necessary Gen
Pershing might extend his front on
the right flank. where he is now
gradually taking over the American
sector to support Italy In her umc
OF peril were included in the force>
now under direct control OF tho Su-