There was another advantage. There was, first of all, the advantage
which the Germans had from having the initiative. There was a further
advantage they had, and this undoubtedly was the greatest advantage,
from having a united command opposed to a dual one. The Germans
undoubtedly relied on this to a very large extent for their success.
They owe much of the success of this attack to this.
It was reported to me on good authority that the Kaiser informed ex-King
Constantine: "I shall beat them, for they have no united command." Which
shows that that was what they were relying in the main upon; that,
although their numbers were slightly inferior, they knew the importance
that was to be attached to the fact that they had a perfectly united
command.
And that is an obvious advantage, for if the risks in one particular
part of the line are great, and in another part of the line are great,
but substantially less than in the former, with one command there is no
hesitation in the mind of the Commander in Chief as to which risk he
will make the greatest provision against.
With two separate commands the problem is a different one. It is more
difficult to adjust the balance of risk, and the General is always
naturally inclined to give himself and his army the benefit of any
doubt. That may be because if anything goes wrong there he alone is to
be held responsible to his own countrymen for the safety of his army.