Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-08

The Allied Cenerslissime Il Evidently Pre-.
' pairing for Great Drive When He Gets
Americans Enough TO Insure Its Success

pairing for Great Drive When He Gets
Americans Enough to Insure Its Success
WE ARE permitted to assume from
W information sent out from Washing
great Allied offensive.
If this assumption be we'll founded,
the war is clearly entering it's final
stages. The Germans have had the ad-
vantage from the beginning in that they
have conducted offensive campaigns.
Virtually every great movement has
been made on their initiative. The Al
lies have waited for the attack and have
repused it as best they could. The one
notable exception is the Somme drive,
but this resulted In one of the most
disastrous defeats of the whole war.
The Germans gave ground, it is true,
but their retirement was an example of
brilliant strategy. The British had been
preparing for months to make the at
tack. They had placed heavy guns in
position in great numbers and had vast
stores of ammunition. But the Germans
simply withdrew their armies out of
range Of the big guns and the months
of preparation went for naught. This
is admitted now, although at the time
we were told it was great British
victory.
The truth is that the Entente Allies
have never been in a condition to con-
,,,,oaocf,1 nFonciua Thou hava
been able merely to dig in and hold their
lines. But now we are told that the ar
rival of American troops in France is
increasing the strength of the armies
to such an extent that the policy of
digging in and resisting attack can
safely be superseded by an offensive
campaign. When it will begin has not
been disclosed. But 1t is morally certain
that the winter will not open before
some great movement has been under
taken.
General Foch is now conducting a
series of attacks on small strategic
positions held by the Germans all along
the line. He is surprising the enemy in
PiaNS albel PidSS capturing bhc
points which he needs. The effect of
these tactics is to keep the Germans
guessing and to force them to have con-
siderable bodies of troops all along the
line. 1t interferes with their plans for
the concentration of vast forces at par
ticular point, for it reduces the number
of divisions available for such concen-
tration.
When General Foch has a million
y American fighting men at his disposal
he can decide the day and the place for
his first great offensive He knows that
we cannot win unless he makes such an
attack and is prepared to follow it up
with sufficient force to drive the Ger
mans permanently out of that part of
France in which the action takes place.
He is a master of strategy and we can
safely trust him to decide when the
time is ripe for action. All the reports
from rance indicate that the American
troops will increase the strength of his
armies to a much greater extent than
it would be increased by similar num-
Der of Englishmen or Frenchmen. The
Americans are fighting with an enthusi-
asm and determination that is a rev.
elation to the veterans.
At Hamel on the Fourth of July they
went into action shouting "The Lusi,
tania" as battlecry. They realize tina;
they are fighting the Power that was
guilty of the damnabl, outrage of sink.
ing that passenger ship loa led with
women and children, and they are re.
garding themselves as the instruments
selected by heaven to bring retributior
upon the guilty.
An army convinced that it is an in
st-ument of Gods justice is invincible.
These American boys will be an in
spiration to the fighting forces of al
the Entente Allies because of the con
tagion of their ideals and because Of
the guarantee that they represent the
power of :: nation with 100000 mer
'eady to be thrown into the battlelint
if they are needed.
So when the drive begins, be it soor
or late, it will be conducted by a conf
dent army determined to put an enc
TO ruthlessness and to FIRING peace upor
earth through the destruction of tha
barbaric Power which I;as violated it.