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Show HINDENBURG'S PLANS. One advantage the Germans gain by their retreat is the delay of tho allied offensive. Whether this was a controlling control-ling reason for the retreat and very evidently it was not Von Hindenburg has won more time in ihich to develop his own plans. If the Teutons plan any offensives for this season they probably will launch at least one of them within a few days. There is a hint that the blow may fall on the Kussian front, but wherever it falls the Teutons will be able to deliver it without much interference from the French and English. Before an attack can be made upon the new German line, in France the allies must bring up their heavy guns and einplaee them. They must move forward their big shells, their tractors, their supply statious, hospitals, water systems and railways. How soon they can begin a big offensive is problematical prob-lematical perhaps not until the spring is well aavancen. Von Hindenburg has always been an advocate of striking down Russia as the condition precedent to any genuine German Ger-man victory. A Russia left great and strong would always be a menace to Germany, he argues. Therefore, he opposed op-posed the offensive at Verdun last year and urged an offensive against the Russians. Rus-sians. He still has a chance to carry out his ideas and many observers expect him to attempt something gigantic against the Russians, who, if we may accept as true half of the news from Petrograd, have been crippled by pro-German intrigues. in-trigues. . |