conductofoperationsbyLimanvonSandersduringthestalemateinGallipoli
werecriticized.CaptainZorbu,whohadlosthissoninthebattle,commented
onLiman’sstrategy:
“FalkenhaynturnedthebattlefieldofVerdunintoaslaughterhouse,LimanvonSandersdid
italsoontheGallipolipeninsula.Whatelsecanyouexpectthanbloodshedfromthrowing
oneselfagainstenemytrencheswithtoday’sautomaticweapons?[...]9 000 youngmenin
onenight...youcanonlyguessinhowmanyyears,withhowmucheffortyoucantrain
somanypeople.”²⁶Yettherewasstillsubstantialinterestinthe‘classical’booksbyGermanand
FrenchmilitarywriterswithintheTurkisharmy.²⁷Readingskillswererequired
amongyoungofficerstostudytheseworksintheoriginallanguage,asastated
byanactiveartillerycaptain:“ForusitisavitalprerequisitetoknowFrenchand
German.”²⁸However,therewasagrowingresistanceagainstthethoughtless
copyingofEuropeanwarhistoryanalyses,whichdidnotfittheTurkishcontext.
TheretiredGeneralKâzımKarabekirstatedinretrospectthattheyoungOttoman
officersofhisgenerationhadknownthenamesofriversandtownsofthePrus-
so-Germanmilitaryhistorybetterthantheonesoftheirownpast,astateofaf-
fairsthathadmadetheOttomanmilitarystudentsfeelunhappy.²⁹Anotherstaff
officerpointedtothetwofactionswithintheTurkisharmy,whichwondered
whether the Republican officershould follow the French or the German
model.Inthiscase,theunconditionalapplicationoftheoffensivespiritinherent
inbothsystemshadledtotheOttomandefeatsinKırklareliin 1912 andinSarı-
kamışin 1915 .³⁰TheconductofwarfarehadtobeadaptedtoTurkishcustoms
because
“[w]eneitherresembletheFrenchnortheGermans.Wehavetocreateaschoolofthought
accordingtoourselvesandhavetodeducethisschoolfromourownbattleswhereweshed
blood.[...]TheTurkisharmyhassomuchwarexperiencepointingthewayintermsof
methodsandthoughts.Tosearchfortheminforeigncountriesisaserioussin.”³¹Zorbu,“ÇanakkaleNasılMüdafaaEdildi?,” 768 – 76 9.
SeetheratheruncriticalviewoftheretiredMajorHüsnü,“HarpTarihinden:HangiSeferleri
Okuyalim?”[FromtheHistoryofWar:WhichCampaignsShouldWeRead?],PM 9 – 86 (19 33 ),
36 – 40.
NureddinAlpkartal,“HarpTarihi”[WarHistory],AM 55 – 106 (1937),5 55.
Karabekir,TarihteAlmanlarveAlmanOrdusu,1 4 – 15.
Sadık,“MuharebedeKendiliğindenİşgörmeveBununHudutları”[ApplicabilityofownWar
(Experiences)anditsLimitations],AM 74 (1929),2.
Sadık,“MuharebedeKendiliğinden,” 10 – 11.Cf.foralatersimilarviewİskora,TürkOrdusu
Kurmaylık(Erkânıharbiye)Tarihçesi,69.
BetweenSelf-AssertionandBlameShifting 167