ItseemsthattheGermaninstructorsdidnotrevealalloftheirnewlydeveloped
tacticsbecauseafuturealliancewasstilluncertain.³²³
Duringthe 1937 maneuversinThracethefirstdeploymentoftheregrouped
TurkishTankBrigadetookplace.TheTurkishmilitarypressemphasizedthatan
observeroftheGermanmilitarymaneueverhadpraisedtheTurkisheffortsin
tankwarfareandhadclearlyunderstoodthepoliticalmessageofdeterrence
againstanyprospectiveinvader.³²⁴Astherangeofpotentialenemieswasexten-
sive,theTurkisharmyalsostudiedtheGermanserviceregulationscarefully.The
Sovietarmywasalsoregardedasabigthreat.³²⁵Theregionmostindangerofan
invasionbyanenemytankarmywasthewideplainsofThrace.In 1939 ,inthis
area,theTurkishGeneralStafffearedthatapossibleItalian-Bulgariancoalition
couldwageanattack.³²⁶Consequently,theTurkisharmoredcorpswasstrength-
enedbynewpurchasesin 1940 .TheunitinLüleburgazwasreducedtoasmall
reconnaissancecompanyinordertopreventseverelosses,areactiontotheGer-
manBlitzkriegconcept.ThearmoredbrigadewasmovedtoIstanbul.Itwasnow
composedofmuchmoremodernandlightertanks,namely16BritishVickersMk
VIBand 96 FrenchRenaultR35,togetherwithaportionoftheolderSovietequip-
ment.AtankbattalioninDiyarbakırwasalsoformedfromthelatter.Thedelivery
arrivedinTurkeyjustfourmonthsbeforetheGermanattackonFrance.³²⁷
Cf.inthisregardtheassuranceofAdolfHitlerinJanuary 194 1towardstheBulgarianally,
thatanattackingTurkishtankforcehadtofaceafierceGermancounterattackinThrace:“It
wouldberidiculous,iftheTurksimaginedtoprocedehere[inThrace]inanaggressivemanner.
Germanyhaddevelopedexcellentattackmodesbasedonscientificprinciples,andthelast
‘medicineofthiscategory’evenhadnotbeenpublishedyet.”Hillgruber,StaatsmännerundDip-
lomatenbeiHitler,vol.1, 42 0.
HamdiTurgay,“TrakyaManvralarınınYabancıMemleketlerdekiAkisleri”[Echosonthe
ThraceManeuverinForeignCountries],TM 13 – 108 (1938), 117 – 118.
SeethefirstarticleinJuly 1939 byKemalKoçer,“SovyetOrdusundaTanklarınveMotorlü
BirliklerinİstihdamlarıveBunlaraKarşıDefveTard”[TheDeploymentofTanksandMotorized
UnitsintheSovietArmyandtheirDefense],TM 14 – 113 (1939), 1 – 15 ;followedbyanotheressay
inAugust:H.Ezgeç,“İtalyan,Alman,SovyetOdularındaTanklarınTaaruzŞekilleri”[TankAs-
saultModesintheItalian,GermanandSovietArmies],TM 14 – 11 4( 19 39), 47 – 53.
Mittelberger,“DeraußenpolitischeWegderneuenTürkei,”6.
Tarnstrom,BalkanBattles,1 19 .DuringWorldWarTwothosestocksweresupplementedby
GermanandBritishtankdeliveriesinordertowinTurkeyfortherespectivesideinthewar.Ibid.,
126 – 130.
TheDevelopmentofTurkishTankWarfare 233