Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-16
WASHINGTON SEES
BRIGHTER SIDE OF
TEUTON OFFENSIVE
Some Army Officers Believe
Allies Ready to Strike-Oth-
erS Put CredenCe in Reports
of German Naval Activity

WASHINGTON, April 13.-Meager
reports from the battle fronts in Elan
ders today indicated that the British
army was Loyalty responding to the a9-
peal of it's commander, and holding
grimly against renewed German as
saults, Meanwhile officers here dis
saults. Meanwhile officers here dis
cussed Field Marshal Haig's call to his
forces to fight to the last man.
The meaning and purpose of the or
der were variously construed Some
officers hailed it as forecasting the
counter offensive by the united allied
armies. Others were disquieted.
The war department was without in
formation that would throw much light
on the battle situation. Officers who
have followed the progress of the fight
from hour to hour in press bulletins,
however, were very optimistic. They
saw no reason to doubt that reserves
in sufficient numbers to warrant
counter offensive were available be-
hind the fighting front, and they also
noted with satisfaction General Haig' s
announcement that French reinforce
ments were coming up.
In the view of some officers, the
German front as it now stands places
the Germans in jeopardy in two places.
The wide salient driven toward Amiens
appears to them susceptible of flank
assault by the French from the south
and southwest, while in Flanders the
narrow salient driven into the British
lines leaves the Teutonic flanks eX-
posed.
Activity at Hangard
There are many reasons, it was said,
to anticipate that any French counter
stroke, designed to take pressure off
the British front in Flanders, may be
delivered south and east of Montdidier.
For this reason developments at Han
gard, CALAMITY regained by the French
today, are being followed closely"
The participation of American troops
with the French in vigorously repell-
ing German assaults, as reported by the
French official statement, was welcom-
ed by officers here. They saw in the
report evidence that the men have all
the dash and enterprise expected of
them and are coming into action like
veterans.
limitations from neutral sources that
Germany has been preparing for naval
offensive, as contained in press reports
reaching this country, already have
come to the war department in a more
official way. Mobilization of naval re-
serves at the fleet bases, assembly of
supplies and other activities indicating
plans for a dash to sea, have been
transmitted for some weeks.
Naval officials, however, were in
doubt as to the extent to which these
reports are to be credited. They are
not certain that the news was not put
an hW themselves
they find it difficult to see what real
objective the Germans might have in
risking the high seas fleet against the
greatly superior British naval force.
Naval Offensive
In some quarters the sudden drop in
submarine sinkings last week lent col
or to the possibility of a German naval
drive to supplement the land opera
tions, the explanation being that the
submarines had been called in to pre-
pare for cooperation with the fleet.
Undoubtedly, it was said, the Ger
man drives in Picardy and in Flanders
were for the purpose of capturing the
channel ports through which British
troops and supplies flow to the front.
They were launched in firm conviction
that success would attend them, and
officers said it naturally followed that
steps would be taken to prepare the
Ile6IS anu 10 GO-Op-
crate Immediately with the army,
Should the channel ports be brought
under gun fire. the German command,
it was argued, probably would seek to
block off British reinforcements with
warships even at the risk of losing
many vessels. Once the army was in
firm possession of a section of the
channel coast as a naval base, officers
believed, warships, and particularly
submarines, would be rushed to that
point for operations against British
channel traffic and possibly even
against the English coast.