5Conclusion
Withthecoupd’étatin 1960 ,the‘ShortGermancenturyinOttoman/Turkish
militaryreform’hadcometoanend.Nonetheless,theTurkishofficercorps
andveteransmaintainedafriendlyattitudetowardstheWestGermanBundes-
wehr,notleastbecauseofthemilitaryalliancebetweenthetwocountries.¹As
statedbyGeneralİlter,thelongtraditionofmilitarycooperationhadlefta
deepimpactuponmanyofficers:
“IwastaughtbyGermaninstructorsinthewarschool,infantryschoolandthewaracad-
emy;Ihadbeenthe[Turkish]militaryattachéinGermanyandIdefinitelyhadbeenintro-
ducedtotheGermanlanguage,cultureandcustomsandIhadembracedthempartially.”²ThismixtureofGermanactiveinvolvementandTurkishappropriatedmilitary
culturalknowledgemadethisrelationshipparticularlyspecial.Thistransfer
wasbyno meansone-sided.TheGermanlessonsfromthiscooperation,to
dateneglectedinacademicresearch,weretohaveanimpactonGermanmilitary
thinking.WithregardtocontemporarypoliticaltensionsbetweenTurkeyand
Germany,alookatthehistoricaldevelopmentofthisspecialrelationshipalso
revealsthatperiodsofdiscordbetweenbotharmieswerealwaysfollowedbyre-
newedcooperation.
Ithadbeenanencounteroftwoquitediversemilitarycultures.Sincethe
1880sofficersofbotharmieshadconvenedonthebasisofamilitaristspirit.
By thereception ofGeneralColmar vonderGoltz’ treatise, TheNation in
Arms,theOttomanarmyhadgainedhopeforthedefenseoftheirhard-pressed
empire.ThepartialappropriationofGermanmilitaryculture,suchasmaintain-
ingorderandobedience,theclaimtoauthorityand,notleast,theroleofthe
militaryastheguardianofpoliticalstabilityhadleftanimpactontheOttoman
stateanditssociety.Nevertheless,notallaspectsofthe‘GermanSpirit’weread-
justabletoOttomanconditions.Thiswasnotonlyrelatedtofinancialrestric-
tions,butalsotoculturaldifferences.
Thelatterbecameevidentduringtheperiodofthemostintensecooper-
ationbetweenGermanyandtheOttomanEmpirefrom 1908 to 191 8.After
the 1908 revolutionGeneralvonderGoltzhelpedtheOttomanofficercorps
InMay1 957 PertevDemirhan,duringhisvisitintheWestGermanMinistryofDefense,had
deliveredaspeechonthelifeofColmarvonderGoltzinBonnʼsHardthöhe.Anonymous,“Be-
suchvonGenerala.D.PertevDemirhanPascha,”MitteilungenderDeutsch-TürkischenGesell-
schaftBonne.V. 16 – 6( 19 57),7.
İlter,BirÖmürBoyuAskerlik,94.
https://doi.org/10.1515/978 3110554786 -005