nial.ErensharedtheGermanview,sincehesawEnver’sbehaviourasafeature
oftheTurkishnationalcharacter.InthefutureTurkeyhadtobeawarethat“[...]
wehavetolearnthoseegoisticallessonswell.”¹⁴Turkeyshouldnotmakethe
mistakeagaintouseitsforcesolelyforthealliance’spurposes,likethedeploy-
mentoftheOttomanarmytoSouthEasternEuropeinordertoserveGermanwar
aims.Withouthavingfirststabilizedthedomesticsituation,Turkeyshouldnot
joinanyalliance.¹⁵Thiswasaclearreferencetothenationaluprisingsinthe
mid- 19 30sandthefearoftheRepublicanelitethattheirnation-buildingproject
couldbesweptawaybyafailedforeignpolicy.Inthelattercase,therewasthe
dangerthattheTurkisharmywoulddissipateitsenergiesatnumerousfronts
withoutgaininganything.HavingstatedthisErenproposedthatintimeof
war,thepoliticalandmilitarypowershouldbeunitedinthehandofamilitary
leader.Thiswasanexpectableclaimfromarepresentativeofagenerationthat
wasusedtotheideaofauthoritarianruleandthatfollowedColmarvonder
Goltz’conceptofthe‘nationinarms’.¹⁶Inadditiontothisclaim,Erensuggested
topreparethearmyandthecivilsocietyintimeforthecomingconflict.¹⁷Itis
interestingto note that Eren neither mentioned Hindenburg’scriticism of
EnverPasha’scommandingskills,¹⁸northechallengesarisingfromtheGerman
staffofficerswithproblematicpersonalitiesthathadbeenpostedtoOttoman
leadershippositionswithoutconsent.Itdidnottakelongforotherstodisagree
withEren’sview.CaptainŞemsiZorbudetestedtheproposedunityofpolitical
andmilitaryleadership.IncontrasttoEren,CaptainZorbuinterpretedtheGer-
mandefeatin 1918 astheoutcomeofthemilitarydominationinGermanwartime
politics.Thustoachievevictory,oneshouldrathertaketheperiodofBismarck’s
chancellorship,andthemilitaryleadershipofMoltke(theelder)in 1866 and
1870 /71asasuccessfulmodel.¹⁹However,militaryleaderswererequiredtofol-
lowglobalpoliticaldevelopmentstoformtheiropinion.Zorbuwasalsocon-
vincedthatitwasnearlyimpossibletoaccommodatethepoliciesoftheallies.
ThishadbeenthecasewiththeCentralpowersregardingItaly,andlaterwith
theOttomanstate.ZorbudidnotgointodetailsbutclaimedthatGermany
Eren,“AskerîAndlaşmalar,” 42 8.
Eren,“AskerîAndlaşmalar,” 43 0.
ItisunderstoodthatErenreferredtothede-factoGermanwartimeHindenburg/Ludendorff
duumvirate;Eren,“Askerîandlaşmalar,” 43 4.
Eren,“AskerîAndlaşmalar,” 435 – 26.
PaulvonHindenburg,AusmeinemLeben:Volksausgabe(Leipzig:Hirzel, 19 34), 135 – 136.
ŞemsiZorbu,“Harb,SiyasaveAskerler: 97 sayılıAskerîMecmuada‘AskerîAndlasmalar’İs-
mindekiYazıyaKarşılık”[War,PoliticsandSoldiers:ReplytotheArticleinAMno. 67 ‘Military
Alliances’],AM 53 – 99 (1935), 1020.
CoalitionWarfareunderAssessment 165