obeys[Lossow’sorders]wouldbemoreappropriatethananImperialambassa-
dor.”¹⁵⁷
Lossowcontinuedtoexhibitthisattitudewhileservingasthecommanderof
theBavarianReichswehrafter1918.AccordingtotheBavarianGeneralHilmar
RittervonMittelberger( 1878 – 195 3),LossowhadrefrainedfromthePrusso-Ger-
manidealoftheunpoliticalofficerduringtheeightyearsinOttomanservice:
“Thelongtimeoccupationwithpoliticshadveeredhimawayfromthepurely
militaryrangeofthoughtsandhadawakenedhisinterestinpoliticalissues.”¹⁵⁸
LossowandotherGermanofficershadworkedinaviolentatmospherechar-
acterizedbyregularturmoil.TheYoungTurkrevolutionandthe 1909 counter-
couphadpavedthewayforfurtherviolentincidents.TheCUPregimeandLos-
sow’smaincontactperson,Enver,hadcometopowerthroughacoupinJanuary
1913 .DuringtheFirstWorldWar,Germandiplomatsdistrustedthepoliticalsta-
bilityoftheOttomanally.¹⁵⁹TheseeventsalsoshapedtheGermanMilitaryRep-
resentative.
OttovonLossowmanagedcontinuehiscareerintheReichswehrin 1919 .He
waspromotedtocommanderoftheBavarianmilitarydistrictandbecamehead
ofthe 7 thInfantrydivision.Lossowstayedloyaltohissupremecommander,Hans
vonSeeckt,untilthepeakoftheRuhroccupationcrisisinSeptember 1923 .At
thistime,Lossowhadobtainedanextendedareaofresponsibilityduetothena-
tionalstateofemergencyinGermany.WhentheMunichbasedNationalSocialist
periodicalVölkischerBeobachterpublishedanoffensivearticleaboutthemem-
bersoftheGermangovernmentandtheReichswehrleadership,Lossowwasor-
deredtoshutdownthenewspaper.However,herefusedtodoso,sincetheBa-
variangovernmentwasreluctanttoprovokethegrowingright-wingmovement.
Lossowwasofficiallydismissedbyhissuperior,Seeckt,duetotherefusalto
obeyordersfromBerlin.However,hewassupportedbyboththeBavarian
civilgovernmentandthecommandingofficersinBavaria.¹⁶⁰Inthisatmosphere
Lossowmetwiththeleadersoftheright-wingorganizationsandissuedaninter-
nalmemorandumfortheBavarianReichswehrcommanderswhichwasleakedto
theleadersofthosegroups.¹⁶¹Inthismemohereferencedtheviewsexpressedin
WolfgangGust,“Armenien 1915 :VerständnisloseAuswüchsedesMilitarismus,”Historicum
7( 2007 ), 21.
HilmarRittervonMittelberger,“WandererinvierWelten:ErinnerungendesGeneralsder
InfanterieHilmarRittervonMittelberger,”vol.2,BayHStAIVHS 2709 ,61.
SeetheForeignMinistryfile“ProsepctofabreakdownofTurkey,”AA-PAR 1404 3.
HeinerMöllers,ReichswehrministerOttoGeßler:EineStudiezu‘unpolitischerʼMilitärpolitik
inderWeimarerRepublik(FrankfurtamMain:Lang,1998), 233 – 23 8.
Ihrig,AtatürkintheNaziImagination,96.
196 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918