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Show OFFENSIVE IS VICTORIOUS ONE Way for Early Invasion of Germany Itself Being Paved by Allies. WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 The wholly whol-ly unexpected extent of the German collapse between St. Quentln and Cam-bral, Cam-bral, which leaves as the enemy stands today, a great gap torn in the center of the lines that were already struggling to extricate themselves and get back to a shorter front has given rise to the belief here that there is even the possibility of a crushing and immediate military victory for the allies. al-lies. Should the French to the south or the British to the north also succeed In breaking through before the Germans Ger-mans can complete an extensive retirement, re-tirement, the capture or destruction of a whole enemy army group might be realized. In the opinion of observers here the situation today has almost limitless possibilities and Marshal Foch Is virtually certain to concentrate every ounce of power at his command in an effort to execute a final coup. The smashing victory of the Anglo-American Anglo-American forces north of St Quentin may be paving the way for early invasion in-vasion of Germany itself. Striking hints of a wholly new enterprise, directed di-rected at the upper Rhine valley have come from unofficial quarters in France and they follow repeated repeated re-peated reports from Switzerland that the civil population of tho Rhine valley val-ley towns were being removed by the German authorities. Some officers here regard these reports re-ports as highly significant They give them particular weight because it now appears certain that the enemy will be forced far back all along the front in northern France and Belgium within with-in the next few days. While the constant con-stant hammering is kept up in the north to pin the German armies there it might bo possible, it was said, to deliver a new stroke on the Alsace-Lorraine Alsace-Lorraine front that might swiftly develop de-velop into an invasion of Germany itself it-self by way of tho Rhino valley. It does not appear likely, however, that the Rhine drive plans, will develop de-velop until the situation clears in the north. Should the German armies escape es-cape the triple trap between Verdun and ttje North sea, however, and establish es-tablish a line on the Meuse river, many officers are confident that the center of attack will swing suddenly to a drive .Into Germany itself by the shortest route, the Rhine valley. For the moment, attention is concentrated con-centrated on the startling forward rush of the Anglo-American forces which have broken through the great St Quentin-Cambrai defensive zone. To the south, it is known that the enemy Is training every effort to hold up the French along the Suippe river. All but one of theUwenty-four good German Ger-man divisions on .this front, it has been reported are now in tho front line. Should the French reach and pass the Aisne as they threaten to do, the enemy ene-my forces in the Laon pocket apparently appar-ently would be in desperate traits. Still further east to the Melsc and beyond, French and American forces i iwrmauni., ' a are striking fiercely ahead carrying an even wider menace and to the north of Lille, Belgian, French and British ! troops have driven forward another grim threat. To no part of the line, apparently, can the hard pressed center cen-ter turn for reenforcements and relief . on a scale that would more than delay the advance at any point The spearhead of the British advance ad-vance was reported at LeCateau today. That would mean that the Anglo-American Anglo-American effort has forged ahead until un-til tho northern end of the great railway rail-way system behind the Germans is only fifteen miles distant. This lat- eral trunk line passes through Valen- , clennes. Avesnes and Hlrson, reaches the Meuse at Charleville and runs -t thenco through Sedan and on to the 1 southeast. 1 General March, chief of staff, in- I dlcated last Saturday that the cutting .j of this greatest single communication , j" system of the enemy was the main objective of the American thrust west of the Meuse. The Americans are within less than eighteen miles of the road now at a point nearly one nun- i dred miles In an air line from the point where the British threaten It on the 5 ! north. It may be a race to cut the l road, but the strategic effect would be 1 different in each case. Should this line be broken by tho j Americans now moving forward on both sides of the Mouse, it would cut " the German western front In half. ' Such a move might be considered vi- tally necessary to the launching of a blow at the Rhine valley. The Ger- ' man troops in the north could offer ' little help if that lateral rail system l that has stood like a wall behind the I; whole German front In France be lost ft to them. ft: nn |