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Show iie T8 KEEP OP ' FiOHT ALL WINTER r MILITARY EXPERTS LOOK FOR INCREASING ATTACK UPON THE WAVERING GERMAN LINES. By Extending Her Lines in the East, Germany Has Merely Added to Her Burdens and Increased Confidence Con-fidence of Allies. Washington. Military experts here do not expect winter to halt the great allied drive against the Germans in Flanders. Secretary Baker's weekly review of war operations, issued October Oc-tober 22, discloses the belief of the war department that potency of material ma-terial and men will enable the British and French commanders to triumph ;over natural obstacles and continue forcing the enemy backward without waiting for spring. The review touches for the first time upon the American expeditionary forces in France, declaring the men, after three months of intensive train-ling, train-ling, are in efficient fighting trim and splendid physical condition. In dwelling upon the importance of .the battle of Flanders and, its effect upon the morale of the Germans the war secretary declares it apparent that !the German high command planned the recent expedition against the Russians in the Riga sector in order to bolster up morale and meet impending internal in-ternal difficulties. By extending betimes bet-imes in the east, he adds, Germany ihas merely added to the length of her line of communications and increased confidence in the final allies' victory. Along the western front, trench raids, as well as the usual artillery duels, are reported. Isolated counterattacks counter-attacks were conducted by the enemy in such a manner as to indicate that no real success was expected, but merely serve to keep up the aggressive aggres-sive spirit of the troops. Rumors of au impending Austrian offensive directed against Italy have been current duriug the past week. Reports of concentrations of Austrian and German divisions to take part in this attack are noted. Any one familiar fa-miliar with the situation can at once determine these rumors are exaggerated. ex-aggerated. Even should the season permit it, the concentation of the number of fresh enemy divisions, estimated esti-mated as high as forty, could not, as a physical possibility, take place in the narrow Trentino valley, fed by a Single railroad system. An interesting summary of troop movements in the United States shows that since the present mobilization began be-gan 914,195 persons have been transported trans-ported by the railroads for the war department, of whom 256,815 were transported in standard or tourist sleepers, the remainder in ordinary day coaches. This vast movement has been conducted by the railroads without with-out a single serious accident and the co-operation between the railroads and the department has been most cordial and effective. |
