alliance,primarilyfromtheGermanperspective,werenotrestrictedtostudies
writteninGerman.TherestrictionsofaccesstosourceshousedattheArchives
oftheTurkishGeneralStaffuntilthemid- 20 00shasledtoascholarlyoverem-
phasisofoperationalmilitaryhistory.ThisisbestillustratedbyErickson’smon-
ographs,whichweremainlybasedontheofficialATASEhistorystudies.⁷³Han-
danNezir-Akmeşefoundaconvincingwayoutofthissituationbyincludingthe
Ottomanofficer’sprewarpublicationsinherresearch.⁷⁴Sheprovidedevidence
forthedeeporientationtowardsGermanyinpartsoftheOttomanmilitarylead-
ershipandtheintellectual“legacy”ofColmarvonderGoltz.MatthiasRömer
addedyetanotheraspect,namely,acomparisonoftheBritishnavalandtheGer-
manmilitarymissionbefore 191 4.However,hebasedhisstudyprimarilyonGer-
mansources.⁷⁵ThismonolingualsourcebasiswasexpandedinMoreau’sstudy,
whichalsoconsideredthediplomaticviewsofcontemporaryWesternpowers.⁷⁶
Relyingonasimilarlybroadselectionofsources,MustafaAksakalfocusedon
thereasonsfortheOttomandecisionforwarinthesummerof 191 4.Hewas
abletoprovethatagreatnumberofOttomanintellectualsfavoredanalliance
with Germany andthatthe postwar blamingofasmallgroup ofleading
YoungTurksfortheoutcomeofthewarservedself-defensivepolicies.⁷⁷Chris-
tophReichmannundertookamoredifferentiatinganalysisoftheGermanwar-
timeviewontheOttomanally,althoughheneglectedtheOttomanandTurkish
positionsonthatissue.⁷⁸
TheformationoftheOttomanyouthorganizationduringtheFirstWorldWar
wasprovidedbySanemYamakAteş,whoofferedthefirstextensivestudybased
onabroadselectionofOttomansources.Consequently,shedisregardedtheview
oftheGermanallyandmistakenlyadoptedinterpretationsregardingthestay
EdwardJ.Erickson,OrderedtoDie:AHistoryoftheOttomanArmyintheFirstWorldWar,
(Westport:GreenwoodPress,2001).
HandanNezirAkmeşe,TheBirthofModernTurkey:TheOttomanMilitaryandtheMarchto
WorldWarI.(London,NewYork:I.B.Tauris, 20 05), 64 – 86.
MatthiasRömer,DiedeutscheundenglischeMilitärhilfefürdasOsmanischeReich, 1908 – 1914
(FrankfurtamMain:Lang,2 00 7).
OdileMoreau,L’EmpireOttomanàl’ÂgedesRéformes.LesHommesetlesIdéesdu‘Nouvel
Ordre’Militaire, 1826 – 1914 (Paris:Maisonneuve&Larose, 2007 ), 58 – 88.
MustafaAksakal,TheOttomanRoadtoWarin1 91 4:TheOttomanEmpireandtheFirstWorld
War(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2008).
JanChristophReichmann,“‘TapfereAskers’und‘feigeAraber’.DerosmanischeVerbündete
ausderSichtdeutscherSoldatenimOrient 1914 – 1918 ”(PhDdiss.,WestfälischeWilhelms-Univer-
sitätMünster,2009).
StateofResearch 17