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Show HEAVY FORCES FACE AMERICANS i Great Drive May Soon Be Undertaken Un-dertaken by Two United States Armies. WASHINGTON, Oct 22. Thore has be6n little change on the front from the Oise to the Mouse. It has been noted tlyit heavy concentration of forces was made by the Germans on the LeCateau-Oise-Serrc front and also against the American pressure northwest of Verdun. Without question ques-tion the retention of these lines unbroken un-broken was vital to the German plan of action. Now that the withdrawal in the north has progressed so fully, however, it would cause no- surprise here if a retirement between the Oise and the Serre were undertaken without delay, to rectify the whole line. ' Tp many officers it seems possible that now events have so shaped the mi us unit a jjiwtti uiitu iua) suou uc undertaken, calculated to upset the whole German plan of retirement. Already Al-ready the allied lines have been shortened shor-tened so that considerable forces must be available for the work, particularly British. The time .cannot be far away, also, when the American second army, under Major General Bullard, will be put into play. Americans May Make Wide Attack. To some observers it seems possible that a wide attack may he.mado-by the two American armies, bo"th east and west of the Meusc, tho thrust being aimed at the great rail artery passing through Sedan nnd Montmody. A cooperating co-operating French assault west of the Argonne would naturally be a part of such a thrust To other officers, however, how-ever, recent French raiding operations in Alsace seem to have significance. Apparently information is desired as to the character and quality of the troops there. Such raids invariably precede offensive operations, although they rarely disclose by their locality the actual place of the proposed attack. at-tack. Time For Crushing Blow. So fnr as the German peace overtures over-tures are concerned, army officers hold that manifestly now is the time of times for a new and crushing blow.' With the hope of early peace being dangled before the eyes of the war-weary war-weary German troops their morale will be at its lowest ebb, it was said, while in the allied and American ranks the round-about German admissions of defeat can onI have given now zest for ll'.c fight. |