The \'German Spirit\' in the Ottoman and Turkish Army, 1908-1938. A History of Military Knowledge Transfer - Gerhard Grüßhaber

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orientationtowardsanactivepoliticalroleofthemilitarywithinthestate.Hans
vonSeeckthadremainedloyaltothegovernment.FriedrichKreßvonKressen-
steinhadalsorefrainedfrominterferinginpoliticsandwaslaterrewarded
withLossow’spositionin 1924 .Moreover,LimanvonSandersdidnotparticipate
intheputschatall.OnlyOttovonLossowrefusedtoobeyordersduringhisac-
tiveservice.HansTröbstandtheformernavalattaché,HansHumann¹⁶⁵,both
participatedintheKapp-Lüttwitzputschin1 92 0.However,theallegationthat
theserviceintheOttomanarmywasaprerequisitewantingtoparticipateina
putschbackinGermanycannotbesubstantiated.¹⁶⁶InthecaseofHansTröbst
andMaxvonScheubner-Richter, theexperienceofviolencein theRussian
CivilWarcombinedwiththepoliticaldevelopmentsinGermanygeneratedthis
typeofextremistmentality.¹⁶⁷Andatleastinonecase,obeyingordersintheeve-
ningof8November1 92 3hadlastingconsequences.FirstLieutenantMaximilian
Braun( 1883 – 19 55),adecoratedinfantryofficerwoundedseveraltimesonthe
Westfront,continuedhiscareerintheReichswehr.InthenightbeforetheHitler
putschhewasondutyinhis 2 ndcompanyintheMunichInfantryRegiment,
whichwasputonalertattheoutbreakoftheputsch.WhenHitler’sstormtroop-
ersoccupiedthebuildingoftheformerBavarianMinistryofWar,Braunreceived
anorderthefollowingmorningtoarrestallillegalintruders.Inthecourseofex-
ecutingtheorder,oneSAtrooperrefusedtosurrender,openedfireontheReichs-
wehrsquadandwasshotdeadbyBraun.Afterthisincident,theNationalSocial-
istsstartedahatecampaignagainstBrauninthelate 1920 s,whicheventually
leadtohisdismissalfromactiveservicein 1934 .Inthissituationhewasprotect-
edbythe(Bavarian)GeneralFranzHalderwho,withthehelpofGeneralMittel-
berger,offeredhimthepositionofaninstructorintheTurkishmilitaryacade-
my.¹⁶⁸Fortherestofhislifehewas“resentfultowardHitler’sGermanyand
anenemyoftheNazis”¹⁶⁹andhedidnothidethesefeelingsfromhisTurkish
friends.


ListedinGumbel,VierJahrepolitischerMord,1 06 ,No. 36.
SeeLeviniaAnderson,reviewofAtatürkintheNaziImagination,byStefanIhrig,Central
EuropeanHistory 49 – 1( 20 16), 139 .IhrigalsomistakenlystatedthatOttovonLossowreturned
toTurkishserviceaftertheputsch.Thiswasnotthecase.However,aGermannavycaptainof
thesamesurnameservedintheTurkishNavalAcademybetween 1928 and 1930 ;seeAnony-
mous,DeutscheOffiziereinderTürkei,47.
Scheubner-RichterismentionedbyIhrig,AtatürkintheNaziImagination,1 03 .However,
likeTröbst,hefoughtasaFreikorpsmemberintheBaltics.Cf.JohannesBaur,DierussischeKo-
lonieinMünchen, 1900 – 1945:Deutsch-russischeBeziehungenim 20 .Jahrhundert(Wiesbaden:
Harrassowitz,1998), 25 5.
SeethedocumentsinBraun’spersonalfile,BAYGStAIVOP 6143 2.
Kocatürk,BirSubayınAnıları,2 59.


198 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918

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