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Show NEW ALLIED OilE ON PICARDYFRONT GENERAL FOCH EXPECTED TO KEEP THE GERMANS O'-.i THE RUN IN THE FUTURE. Million and a Quarter Americans in General Pershing's First Army, All Eager to Take Their Prrt in Big Drive for Berlin. Washington. A new drive against the German positions either in Flanders Flan-ders or between the Oise and Soissons is expected by many army officers here as a result of the slowing up of the advance in the Picardy theater. Outlining tne situation at his midweek mid-week conference Wednesday, General March, chief of staff, confined his statements to pointing out that the Germans have now been forced back until they are not within Z0 miles of Paris at any point. The head of the army has previously laid stress on the fact, however, th'::t the greatest advantage won by Marshal Mar-shal Foch in a military way is in having hav-ing wrested the initiative from the enemy. The opinion prevailed among other officers that the present struggle around Roye and Lassigny would soon "terminate in the capture of those points, to be followed by the taking of Noyon. Pershing's Army to Take Part. In the course of his discussion, General Gen-eral Marsh said that General Pershing Persh-ing now has 1,250.000 American troops organized into the first army corps. Presumably Pre-sumably the Americans on the British left flank in Picardy, identified by the chief of staff as the 131st infantry of the Thirty-third (Illinois national guard) division, are among those still brigaded for training. It appeared possible to some officers that the organization of the first American Am-erican army might be followed by an all-American attack at some point on the line which it holds beyond Verdun, where there has been no recent lighting. light-ing. The primary purpose of the two blows Marshal Foch has struck has been realized. Both in the Aisne-Marne Aisne-Marne battle and again in Picardy the attacks were defensive measures to free Paris from the m nace of the two wedges the enemy h;i driven in that direction. The value of the drives in tins respect was pointed out by General Gen-eral March. Officers here, therefore! anticipate a complete change in the character of the lighting in the next phase of the battle, with Foch's armies assuming the offensive in the fullest sense of the word and striking to force the enemy back in such manner that he can not avail himself of his old Hindenburg line defenses. |