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

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structureofGermanarmytrainingandeducation,butwealsoneedtoexamineit
inmoredepthforourarmy.”²⁸⁶
Forthispurpose,amongotherbooks,thestandardworkbytheReichswehr
CavalryInspector-General,GeorgBrandt(18 76 – 194 5),wastranslatedintoTurk-
ish.²⁸⁷Inareviewofthebook,cavalryCaptainRahmicomparedtheexplanations
oftheGermancavalryexperttotheTurkishcavalryregulations.FortheTurkish
reviewer,terrainandvegetationwerequitedifferentfromtheareasinGermany
andCentralEurope.Inthecaseofmountedreconnaissancepatrols,theexam-
plesgivenbyBrandtwereunfeasibleinAnatolia“[b]ecauseourbordersare
verylong.Ourroadsarelimitedandincloseareatoeveryroadtherearehigh
hillswithextensivecommandingviews.”²⁸⁸ThusTurkishreconaissancesquads
couldeasilybespottedbytheenemy.However,RahmiwasagainstBrandt’sde-
mandtodissolvethereconnaissancecavalryunitsbecauseboththeTurkishex-
perienceinthewaragainstGreeceandtheFrenchcavalryfieldregulationrefut-
edthisview.²⁸⁹
TheTurkisharmydidnotonlylookforassistanceandadviceinprintedGer-
mansources.TheAnatolianhorsebreedwassmallandagileandthussufficient
forthecavalry,butnotstrongenoughfortowingsupplyandartillery.²⁹⁰Hencein
1935 theTurkishMinistryofWarintendedtobuyhorsesfromGermany.²⁹¹Inthe
sameyeartheTurkishCavalryInspector-GeneralMürselBaküannouncedhis
visittoGermany.BakühadservedintheGermanarmywiththeKasselHussars
RegimentNo. 14 between 1910 and 1912 .²⁹²TheGermanForeignMinistryurged
theGermanarmytowelcomeBaküinorderfacilitatethepurchaseofhorses.
TheWehrmachtcavalryschoolinHannoverwasencouragedtoorganize“areun-
ionwithhisoldregiment’sfellows,towhomhehadlostcontactoverthecourse


Baki,“GelecekHarplerdeSüvari(2)”[TheCavalryinFutureWars(2)],AM 49 – 80 (1931),
22 8.
GeorgBrandt,ModerneKavallerie:BetrachtungenüberihreVerwendung,Führung,Organisa-
tionundAusbildung(Berlin:Mittler,1 93 1).TurkishtranslationunderthetitleAsrîSüvari:İstihda-
mi,Sevki,TeşkilatıveTalimveTerbiyesiHakkındaMülahazalar.trans.SamiSabit.(Istanbul:
AskerîMatbaa, 19 32).
Rahmi,“AsrîSüvariKitabıHakkındaBaziDüşünceler”[SomeThoughtsabouttheBook
‘ModernCavalry’],AM 50 – 87 (1932), 581.
Rahmi,“AsrîSüvariKitabıHakkındaBaziDüşünceler,” 58 3.
Tekeliandİlkin,İkinciDünyaSavaşıTürkiyesi,108.
GermancarthorsebreedingassociationtoGermanForeignMinistry,28March 1935 .PA-AA
R7 8569 ,n.p.
Bakü’sservicetimeintheGermanarmylastedfrom 15 September 1910 to 25 September
1912 .MilliSavunmaBakanlığıArşivi,PersonalFileBaküSicilNo. 1316 – 7.


226 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918

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