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Show ! j DIFFERENT ANGLES TO THE FIGHTING. H , Any day may bring surprising devel- H , opments on the battle front in France H ! and Belgium. j H f After hammering at the defenses of j H Cambral and St Quentin, and after H 11 battling along the whole Hindenburg' Hl line, the allies have advanced to where I Hp ' 1 a break-through is possible, and a driv-, H Ing ahead any considerable distance, H I either near Cambrai or St. Quentin, H would bring disaster to a large part of H ! tho German army in northern France. H But the wedge in the German line H which is most promising extends into j H ; Flanders, between Dixmude and Ar- j H mentieres, -where the Belgians, British,, H and French have penetrated lo a J H '' depth of about eight miles. The j H ' throwing in of a French force is evi- H I denco that General Foch is eager to H ! i take full advantage of enemy weak- H j'j ness at ttiat point and sees in the H t; opening a bright prospect of driving H jij , the Germans out of the entire western H ' part of Belgium, while flanking the H Kaiser's army operating in, tho Lille H r ! sector. H i General Foch should have approxi- H mately a million American soldiers at H j his command, of whom not more than H half have been on the fighting fronL H i The French general may not have su- H i preme confidence in a hastily trained H ij army and may feel that those forces H i are not to be relied on in a desperate struggle, but, If he makes use of them, not only will ho bo agreeably surprised sur-prised but the enemy may be administered admin-istered a knockout blow at this critical criti-cal stage in the world's mightiest battle. bat-tle. We do not place much stress on tho capturing of territory. Tho real aim sought is ,to cripple the German armies, ar-mies, and this, work can be better done In northern Franco and Belgium than when the Huns get back lo the Fatherland. Father-land. As the two opposing forces are now battling, there is opportunity for a masterful stroke. That is to say, there is an opportunity, If tho reserve corps of Americans can be employed. Half a million fresh troops of tho dash and courage of our boys could enter the breach at Roulcrs and, enlarging the wedge, go through to the heart of Bel-glum Bel-glum and, swinging east and west, cut off a big fraction of the Kaiser's army operating in Uiat region. But Foch will not attack in that manner, or bring in the extra forces unless ho Is certain ru" victory, as tho generalissimo knows that noxl year no miscalculation of plans, no unbooked un-booked for reverse can deny to him the decisive victory for which ho is con-, tending. By spring tho American troops in Franco will number 3,000 000 with 2,000,000 available for tronch duty. Thero will be heavy American artillery, airplanps and Browning guns. There .will be a vast network of railroads back of the lines. Then tho real offensive will start. In tho meantime, the Kaiser's armies ar-mies are' being worn down and kept in distress. This process will go on all I fall and winter. ,No days of rost and recuperation will bo allowed the enemy ene-my and the hard-pressed Germans will be kept from forming new defensive lines of tho strength of the Hinden-burg Hinden-burg trenches, although tho Parsifal trench system is constructed from Roubai in Belgium to Sedan in northern north-ern France. |