The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-05-21
The Week II, the War

PREPARATIONS, extensive and intensive,
,I have been the order Sf the week on the West
ern front. Such engagements as have occurred
have not been 2ofs major Importance and have
largely been local in their nature. These have
generally resulted to the advantage OF the Allies
All the REPORTS ofthe Allied observers 90 to in
dictate thu enemy has spent the past week in vast
preparator, work, in the massing Of fresh re
serves, brnt ng up new forces, rearranging the
old and is about ready to launch fresh attacks on
4 scale commensurate with those of the earliest
days of the drive. 1t was estimated on Saturday
that the German forces are made up OF lao army
divisions At the present time each army division
Is composed of from 1900 to 14OOO which would
make such force somewhere between l|OOOOO
and 100000 1t is said that eightytwo divisions
occupy the forward positions and hfty-eight are
supporting them, massed and ready to be thrown
into Encouragement occasion may require.
What the reserve force of the Allies on the
Western front is at present has not been told and
Is a subject OF much discussion. 1t was. i'll part,
for his criticism of the handling OF this reserve
army BY General Foch and the supreme war cOun-
Gil that General Maurice was disciplined BE
yond doubt the force is large. Whether it will
balance that of the enemy remains to be seen.
Ii was the opinion of the Allied stats on Friday
sshat the enemy was taking full advantage of the
opportunity that had presented itself to strength
en- its forces and the longer it was able to wait
the nearer it approached status like that at the
beginning of the drive but that it could not afford
to wait long because of the increasing number of
Americans who getting within zone where
they can be effectually used.
In the Italian war theater the Italians appear to
have forestalled the Austrians and to have struck
a hard and successful blow Since then they have
repulsed each and every effort Of the Austrians
to recover lost ground and inflicted heavy losses
while doing this.
To the American point of view interest Centered
TO considerable extent around despatch from
Ottawa and the subsequent denials of the correct
ness OF its news. The telegram said the American
forces were not to be used until Americans were
over seas in more formidable numbers. 1t would
appear that the meaning OF the despatch was that
.he American force would not be used sepa
rate ihteger until that time 1t seems that the
American forces are to be used as they have been
recently in connection with the British and the
French. They are to hold certain sectors, as they
have been doing, and are to be given more and
more sectors as they are ready to take them over
This is substantiated by the report published this
morning that the Americans now holding q
longer part Of the Western front than do the Bel
gians and now are ranking third in that respect
next to the British and the French. New forces
are completing their training in new positions anc
il is evident that the hurry call of the Allies is be
ing heeded as much as possible. The United States
now appears to be getting to stage where it viii
soon be able to hit its pace" 1t is beginning t.
play fitting part in actual military participation