The Mena weekly star., 1918-07-25

London. July 21.--Has the great Allied push begun?
 That's the great question of the war today. The sudden surprise coun- for attack carried out so successfully bv the French and American armies between the Aisne and the Marne has given rise to iI.
 It is being answered in two ways bv allied military observers, who are holding their breath in the suspense accompanying the realization that great events are transpiring on the western front.
 One group believes that the allies are not yet fully prepared for the great smash, and that the offensive was merely local attack at an op- portune moment, designed to fiatten out the Soissons- Chateau salient, force the Germans to fall back of the Marne and relieve the pressure against Rheims.
 The other group, which includes many American critics, is cer tain that the counter drive is the prelim- mary attack of the GREAT PUSH that will drive the Germans out of France and Belgium.
 They point to these facts to show that this is the likely theory:
 General Foch patiently accepted the defensive in the first four German of fensives this year. In the fifth drive he was counter-attacking on the first day, and on the third threw the Amer iean and French reserves in for a smashing counter-attack at the weak est point of the enemy's line.
 He had been waiting only until America's strength on the battle line should reach a point where it swung the pendulum of manpower over to the side of the entente allies.
 That moment has now arrived. The allies are stronger than the Germans.
 foch, whom Joffre himself declared to be "the greatest strategist in Eu- rope" has for his motto the word Attack" His strategy consists in carefully husbanding his men when he is outnumbered, falling back where necessary, but never allowing his line to be pierced At the opportune mo- ment, when he considers his opponent weak enough at any point of his line to make a break thru possible, he strikes with all the force at his com nand, aiming to smash the German line and flank it from two sides.
 This was the strategy he employed on the Marne in 1914 and again in the first battle of Ypres. It has been criticised as an action of the moment only, without any definite plan behind 1t, but it saved Paris in 1914 and made Foch generalissimo of the allied forces.
 This is the plan the majority of the allied critics now believe Foch is put ting into operation.
 The battle of the next few days will secide whether the attack was the oeginnlng of Foch's great push or merely counter-attack to harass the Germans and force them to slacken their thrust for Rheims.
 If 1t IS the former, the assault on the Solssons front must be regarded as only small part of the war.
 The attack will be extended over the whole frent from the sea to the Swiss border.
 The British army under Field Mar snal 'Haig will hurl itself at the Ger mans from Ypres as far north as nontdidler. The French and Ameri- can armies under General Petain and general Hunter Liggett will widen .aeir offensive between the Aisne and .ne hsrne to an attack on the whole front between Soissons and verdun. ,.
 And on the extreme southern end soi the line, probably under personal .ommand of General Pershing, the ,n,merican forces who are forcing the 7 une In Alsace will commence their drive to the Rhine.
 rms Is the great plan which has Dcen Tn preparation for months.
 The blow will fall with all the Iorce the allied commanders can mus ter behind it.
 " will be the greatest battle the world has ever known.
 And unless the military acumen '. tne worlds greatest generals and oi the interallied war council is much ~ Lauit, 1t will drive the Hun invaders paek beyond their own borders