theGermanexampleoftheBJDandexpressedthat“wehopeourloyalallies
wouldimitatethegoodthingsthattheyhadobservedonus.”⁸⁰Forthispurpose,
HoffselectedseveralchaptersfromhisBJDhandbook(1913)forpublicationin
theOGDperiodicalafterhisreturntoGermany.⁸¹Besidesthosepractice-oriented
texts,someofhisarticlesalsoclearlyfeaturedSocialDarwinistideas.Hoffar-
guedthatyouthhadtobeinstructedinawaythatvictoryordefeatwastodecide
ontheexistenceoftheOttomannation.GreatthingscouldbeexpectedfromOt-
tomanyouthstrengthenedbythisexperience.Duringwar,youthshouldreplace
thelossesatthefront,anditshouldbepreparedmentallyandphysicallyforthe
post-warperiodinordertomaketheOttomannationinsurmountableinfuture
conflicts.Inachievingthisgoal,theOttomanscouldcountontheassistance
oftheirGermanally:“TheOttomansknow thattheyhaveintheGermans,
theirallies,arealfriendandthattheywillfindanhonestandprimarysupport
inanynecessarymatter.”⁸²
Astothequestionofchoosingleadersforyoungpeople,Hofffollowedthe
Germanpre-wardiscourse.YoungOttomanofficerswerepreferredasleadersof
thelocalOGDgroups,especiallyintheDinçsectioncomprisedofoldermembers
betweentheagesof 17 and 20 .Notonlywouldtheboysgetusedtotheordersof
superiorsbutthoseofficerswouldalsogainleadershipskills.Theofficerwasto
becomeafatherfigureforhisDinçgroup.Alltheofficersweretoreceivespecial
trainingpriortotheirdeployment,alsoincludingspecialcoursesduringtheir
timeatmilitaryschool.⁸³Hoffalsomadeuseofhisexperiencesasafront
commanderinFrance(191 4 – 1915),wherehehadwitnessedthepositiveoutcome
oftheformerBJDmembershipamongyoungsoldiers.Hoffclaimedthattheyhad
beenpreparedforthebattlefieldduringtheirtimeintheBJD.Butthetruthcon-
tentofthosetwoarticlesisdubious,sincetheyalsomighthavebeenfabricated
Hoff,“GençDerneklerindeTerbiye-iBedeniye:Almanya’daTerbiye-iBedeniye”[Physical
TrainingintheYouthAssociations:PhysicalEducationinGermany],OGDM 1 – 4(1Kanun-u
Evvel1 33 3/ 191 7),2.
Hoff,“AlmanGençDernekleriCepKitabından:GençDerneklerindeAraziTatbikatından;İki
KıtanınKarşılıklıArazıOyunları”[FromtheHandbookoftheYoungGermanyAssociation:From
theFieldExercisesofYouthAssociation;GamesoftwoOpposingTeams],OGDM 1 – 11 (1Tem-
muz 1334 /1918), 4 – 7;fortheGermanoriginalcf.Hoff,Jungdeutschland-Taschenbuch,74etseq.
Hoff,“GençlikveHarb”[YouthandWar],OGDM 1 – 6( 1 Şubat 1334 /1918),2.
Hoff,“GençDerneklerindeDinçlerinTalimveTerbiyesi:Zabıt,GençlerinMürebbisiOlarak”
[TrainingandEducationintheDinçSectionoftheOGD:TheOfficerastheTutoroftheYouth],
OGDM 1 – 7(1Mart 1334 /1918), 1 – 2.Cf.fortheprewardiscussioninGermanyHermannGiehrl,
“OffizierundJugendbewegung,”VierteljahresheftefürTruppenführungundHeereskunde 11 – 2
(1914): 287 – 304.
120 3German-Ottoman/TurkishCooperationintheMobilizationofYouth