FOCH'S CONFIDENCE.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 April 1918, Page 7

FOCH'S CONFIDENCE.

In an interview given to the New York Times before the opening of the German offensive, General Fcch, who is now generalissimo of the Allied armies in France, said he absolutely refused to believe chat there was any possibility of the Germans piercing the allies' lines on the western front. The allied organisation is superior to'day in reserves, which have been greatly increased and are ""much more easily handled, and the Allies have an abundance of guns, munitions and aeroplanes. Their superiority in artillery over the enemy is unquestioned, and their moral is very much better than it has ever been. The German troops, on the other haad, are notably inferior to those of the early days of the war. General Foch denies absolutely the rumour that the Germans have a new gas against, which the Allies' gas masks would be inefficient. As regards tanks, he points out that, though the enemy will undoubtedly have tank machines, the Allies have so much more experience in manoeuvring tanks that the advantage on this score must rest with them. General Foch pointed out that mere num. bers do not make necessarily for superiority, and insisted that Germany would never again have the numerical suepriority that she once enjoyed on the Yser, when the Allies We're fighting against odds of three or four to one, and were for practical purposes without artillery or munitions. He insists that on the Italian front there is now no danger to fear. He is convinced that the Italian Army is quite capable of holding its own, and pointed out that if it were necessary Italy would be able to apply for assistance either to England or France. Not merely is Italy strong in a military sense, but the national moral is excellent. To win the war, General Foch added, we must have a great American army.