fense.¹⁰⁰Fordefensivemeasuresagainstinvasionsbythesea,theTurkisharmy
evendevelopedpictorialinstructionmaterialstoteachthemodernwayofcoast-
aldefense.¹⁰¹Inthoseregards,theTurkishdebatewasfaraheadoftheGerman
ideasonthedefenseofcoastalareas.Duetothelanguagebarrier,Turkishwarn-
ingshadnoinfluenceontheGermanconcept,whichwasonlybasedonGerman
experienceandBritishevaluations.¹⁰²Inretrospect,thenegligenceoftheformer
ally’sideasregardingcoastaldefencewouldturnouttobeagravemistake.
MakingSenseofGallipoli:TheSplitofGermanPostwar
CoastalDefenceDoctrine
ForGermany,Gallipolihadbeenthebiggestshoredefenceoperationofthewar.
Severalprivateandofficialpostwarevaluationsofthiscampaignhadbeenpub-
lished,eventhoughthebattlehadtakenplaceinaratherexoticandremotethe-
aterofwar.Oneofthefirstaccountshadbeenwritteninaratherpatriotictone,
intendedtocheerupthedepressedformersoldiers.Inapopularanthology,
whichservedtheglorificationofwar,aneyewitnessdeclaredthefollowing:
“Letus[Germans]learnalessonfromyesterday’sTurks!IftheTurkssucceededinvictou-
riouslywithstandingformonthstheworld’sbestequipppedarmysuperiorineveryrespect,
withoutenoughrifles,canonsbroughtfromthemuseum,exceedinglackofinfantryand
artilleryammunition,withoutaircraftoranyothermodernresources,iftheysucceeded
[...]toforcetheEnglishflagwiththeirinferiorordnanceintoavoidingtheTurkishterritorial
waters[...]sohereinliesaseriouswarning[eineernsteMahnung]forus!”¹⁰³TheselineswerewrittenunderthesevereconditionsoftheVersaillesTreatyand
not,asmightbeassumed,fortheGermandefendersofoccupiedFranceinthe
summerof 1944 .ThedevelopmentoftheexistingGermancoastandlanddefen-
ceswasrestrictedsince 1919 .Thefirstmodernfortresseswereonlybuiltafter
1935 withtheunilateralcancellationofthoseregulations.ThereforetheGerman
armyhadtofocusonthetheoreticalevaluationofthebattlefortheDardanelles.
Nizamettin,“BüyükHarpteÇanakkale’yeYapılmışOlanBüyükDenizZorlaması,” 26.
SeethepicturedlessonguideforartilleryandinfantryunitsinOrhanErgüden,“Sahil
Müdafaası”[CoastalDefense],PM 10 – 98 (1936), 7 – 10.
SeethereviewoftheBritishofficalworkoftheGallipolicampaigninFelixGuse,“Amtliche
GeschichtedesGallipoli-Feldzuges:1.Band,”MWB6( 19 29),cols. 219 – 22 0.
WalterLierau,“FeldgeschützgegenDreadnought:BilderausdenKämpfenderArmee
LimanvonSanders,”inImFeldeunbesiegt:DerWeltkriegin 29 Einzeldarstellungen,ed.Gustav
vonDickhuth-Harrach(Munich:J.F.Lehmanns,1 92 1), 12 8.
182 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918