Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-06
FOCH PLANS TO
TURN BATTLE ON
KANER'S ARMY
Increasing Man Power of AL
lies Permits Adoption of
New Policy

Washington, July 6.-Increasing
man power and rapidly extending
control of the air have permitted
the adoption of a new policy by
General Foch, supreme commander
of the allied arpe:es on the western
front. in the opinion of many OBJ
servers tere. They believe the Sc
queace of hard local blows that have
been struck recently by French,
American, British and Italian
troops shows that a new phase of
the great battle is developing which
might expand into a major opera
ton on any part of the front where
the situation was found favorable.
Reports of the recent highly sue
cessful strokes at the German lines
are taken here to indicate that Cen
eral Foch no longer feels under the
urgent necessity of keeping rigidly
on the defensive in order to con-
serve his forces for the expected
renewal of the German offensive.
The fact that the Germans have
been completely surprised and over
whelmed by several of the local
counteroperations is believed to be
due to the work of the allied air
men.
American Aid Being Felt
In both cases. American aid has
already served to change the tide of
Tie lighting. The arrival of Ameri-
can troops by the hundreds of thou
sands has enabled General Foch to
begin harassing the enemy all along
the line, while the increasing num-
ber of American pilots makes possi-
BILE concentrations of air forces
that sweep enemy scouts out of the
sky in the sectors selected for linn
tied drives.
The American attacks around
Chateau Thierry, the French opera
tions on the scissors front of the
Compeigne salient and the British
Somme and in Flanders probably
were prompted by the fact that the
weakness of the enemy at those par
ticular points had been revealed by
airplane observations, or as a result
of raids at other points Quick ad-
vantage was taken, undoubtedly, for
surprise blows where German re-
serves were on the move.
1t is assumed here that General
Foch now plans to give the enemy
no rest. Points of vantage held by
him which would be of value as the
starting place for a new major thrust
are being recaptured all along the
line. The effect is to embarrass
German preparations, and officers
here believe that the fact that any
of these local operations by the al
lies may suddenly develop into a
more important movement tends to
keep the German reserves scattered
along the whole line.
Situation Has New Aspect
The activity of the allied forces
is believed by observers here to put
Il wholly new aspect on the problem
of meeting the forthcoming German
effort to renew his movement either
toward the Channel or Paris. The
possibilities of feints at remote parts
cf the real attack until it was well
under way, are believed to be less
promising, as it is the allies who are
now creating divisions and not the
Germans.
1t is regarded as quite probable
| that General Foch will be able to
form accurate estimates of the
course and strength of the blow be-
fore it is delivered and make his
concentrations accordingly. If so,
officers here have hopes that the
German assault, when lit does come,
can be stoppd without any consid-
cradle surrender of territory.
One advantage of the increasing
man power of the allied armies
that observers believe is certain to
he apparent in the next German
rush will be the possibility of allied
thrusts at other points along the
line, thus compelling the shifting of
German reserves to meet these at
tacks. 1t is believed General Foch
is now in position to take this
means of using his reserves.