Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1918-03-21
ALLIED OFFENSIVE
IS EXPECTED SOON
Supreme War Council Holds Key
TO Situation.
MAY HIT ON ITALIAN FRONT
Pooling of Army Reserves Will Permit
Overwhelming Concentrations at
Selected Points of Attack
and BeWiider Foe.

Washington, March 20-The key TO
the 1918 riddle of the western battle
front is in the hands OF the supreme
war council at Versailles.
Decision as TO the time and place
| of major OffenSives by the allies rests
with that body
1t directly controls also, officials
here believe, new weapon forged
during the winter with which to make
effective its plans of grand strategy.
Foe Abandons Offensive.
That weapon is believed to lie in a
pooling of the army reserves of all the
allied armies, permitting overwhelm-
ing concentrations at selected points
of attack.
American observers now are con
vinced the German high command
plans defensive campaign and that
the long-talked-of drive on Paris or
the channel ports has been abandoned.
The initiative, according to this
view, rests with the allied and Amer
lean forces.
Communiques are being closely
scanned for the first indication of any
offensive operations mapped out at
Versailles.
Council Wilson's Plan.
The supreme council was created
under the urgent insistence of Presi-
dent Wilson for aggressive action this
year, based on co-ordinated plans and
under the direction of single agency.
The exact scope of the councils au-
thority has never been disclosed. 1t
was said both by Premier Lloyd
George and by Lord CurzOn, however,
in explaining the status of the British
imperial general staff and the com
mander in the field, Sir Douglas Haig,
that certain British forces had been
assigned to the councils control.
Reserves Clew to Drive.
Decision by the war council, officers
here heltsVe as to the field where
these and similar forces from other
armies are TO be concentrated will
show where allied blows at the Ger
man defenses are designed to fall.
If there is to be no German drive
as the war department predicted 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 line
May Make Blow in Italy.
Opinion as to the sectors offering
the best opportunity for allied assaults
varies widely here. There is sub
stantial agreement, however, that the
Italian front may in fact become the
main theater of war this year.
In any event, even though the su-
preme council might have decided to
make the effort to break through in
Italy, it is believed that the first
moves in the game would be played in
France and Flanders.
Drives with all the appearance Of
| being the real OffensiveS undoubtedly
would accompany or precede the main
| thrust
The pooled allied reserves under di-
rectiOn of the supreme council would
make possible a campaign Of such ma
ture, designed to keep the German
command perplexed as TO which as
sault would be driven home.
Theory of Reserves.
The theory of pooled general re-
serves under command of the supreme
war council already has appeared in
the British press to some extent as
the explanation of what has been said
In parliament