Most commentators point to Clark's ambition to be the first to arrive in Rome although some suggest he was concerned to give a necessary respite to his tired troops (notwithstanding the new direction of attack required his troops to make a frontal attack on the Germans' prepared defences on the Caesar C line).
De fleste kommentatorer har peget på Clarks ambition om at være den første, som kom til Rom, om end nogen mener, at han ville give sine tropper en tiltrængt pause (selv om den nye angrebsretning betød, at tropperne nu skulle gennemføre et frontalangreb mod forberedte stillinger i tyskernes Cæsar C linje).