While Moltke allowed his officers wide latitude in taking tactical decisions, however, the rigid French chain of command bound Napoleon’s officers into slow-moving, largely defensive manoeuvres. The chain of command through the Prussian General Staff – the only General Staff in Europe at the time – was far more decisive and effective. By the time of the first encounters, the French had brought 250,000 men to the front, many of them inadequately armed and supplied, whereas the Prussians and their allies deployed 320,000 battle-ready troops on the border.
