Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-25
DECISIVE TEST Of
ARMIES TO COME
Present Drive Thought to Offer
Comparison of Allied and
German Forces.
SURPRISE is ELIMINATED

Army officers see in the new German
drive significant test Of the compare
| tive military strength of Germany and
the allies on the western front.
The present drive, they believe. Will
offer surer test Of this relative power
| than the first onslaught in the somme
region.
The element of surprise has been
eliminated. The allies expected the at
! tack and have thrown their full re-
sources into their lines to resist 1t.
This foreknowledge on the part OF tho
allies is not likely. to permit SUCH
rapid advance as the Germans were
| able to make in the earlier attack. The
rapidity of the advance handicapped
| the Germans because they were not
f, able to bring up their heavy artillery
| to support their lines as fast as they
| proceeded.
Hence the full force Of neither side
could be adjudged accurately either be-
| fore Amiens or in Flanders.
| officers believe the Germans VIII pc
| able to muster greater strength IN their
present offensive than in their carrier
efforts. They have brought recruits
| from other quarters and they have
modified artillery with greater easo
since their plans were known ana there
| was nothing to be gained by conceanng
| their intended objective.
Not Discourag1ng Sign.
But this fact 10 not to be construed
| as a dlscourag1ne Sign for the aLies
In addition to this elimination Of the
element Of surprise thsre are q num-
~ for
| lied resistance more adamant. ana
which oven hold out the hope that
| the Germans will recoil before the
stone wall they will meet On the
Somme battlefields.
The allied direction has been unified
| by the appointment of Con. Foch to be
supreme commander of the allied FORCES.
| In the lack of such central command
| it Is believed. the enemy found Its ad-
vance facilitated, especially in the drive
toward Amiens They counted this a
! factor in their favor, and their ohoice
| Of the point of junction OF the British
and French forces Is regarded as eVi-
dence that they expected to take ad-
opponents forces.
Study German Attack.
Moreover, the allies have had a chance
TO study the now German style of
massod attack. Both the French ana
| the British have experienced this
method now, and both arc better pre-
pared to resist it. Some officers believe
| that once It Is known this style Of fight
| ing IL to be used, it offers advan-
taEeous ways Of defense.
| Gen. Eoch now has his army OF re-
serve In q position where It may be
used when needed. There Is no rear
| that the allied man power Will be over
| wheimed. It Is thought that the re-
sistance will be offered by troops now
holding the tine unless there Is shown
| to be grave danger in that course, and
! that & such danger looms up. then.
and not until then. will the reserve
army be used.
| More serious. It now is believed, than
| the loss of men to the allies from the
first drive, was the loss OF guns. But
LLOYD George has given assurance that
every gun lost in the Withdrawals In
Flanders and in Picardy would be re-
placed. With that assurance experts
here see the allied lines better prepared
better organized and better manned to
resist the present and moro vigorous
onslaught than they wero before.
From the present extent OF the at
tack, 1t is likely that Americans will be
on the edge, II not actually In. the fight
ing Of the coming days.
Already Germany is seeking to make
capital Of her early advances In bring
ing pressure to bear on neutrals, which
are expected to be dazzled by the pros
pect Of a German victory. The more
aggressive attitude toward Holland to-
day was cited as evidence of this sup
Elementary effort.