flictsinbothcountriesweretobebridged.InGermany,thosetensionswereof
politicalnature,reachingnewdimensionswiththe‘stabinthebacklegend’
(Dolchstoßlegende)after1918.InthelateOttomanEmpirethesetensionswere
causedbytheTurkishnationalmovementthatledtoethnictensionswithin
themulti-nationalempire.IntheRepublicofTurkey,theofficialmotto,“Every
Turkisbornasasoldier!”(“HerTürkaskerdoğar”),usedbythestate,became
oneofthefoundingmythsoftheyoungnationstate.MustafaKemal[Atatürk]
hadthususedamongotherideasColmarvonderGoltzconceptofthe‘nation
inarms’andhaditadaptedforhisownpurposes.¹⁰⁰UponTurkishrequest,
CarlDiem,aGermansportfunctionary,formerpersonalassistanttoColmar
vonderGoltzintheBJD(1911– 191 4)andpioneerofaGermanstatecontrolled
mainyouthorganization,cametoAnkarain 1933 .AlthoughDiemwasreluctant
abouttheGermanNationalSocialistmovement,hereviewedtheTurkishsitua-
tionandwroteastudyonthecreationofacentralizedyouthorganizationthat
wouldprepareyoungpeopleformilitaryserviceandtrainthemtowardsalife
asobedientandphysicallyactivecitizens.
TheeffectsofthismindsetarenoticeabletothisdayinTurkey.Inthecurrent
debatesinGermanyontheroleofTurkishworkingmigrantsitismostlyforgot-
ten,thatalsosomeofthe(asIwouldcallthem)German‘guestworkersinuni-
form’cametotheBosporuswithratherproblematicideas.Onthosegrounds
thereisaneedformoreresearchonthereceptionoftheʻGermanSpiritʼinthe
TurkisharmedforcesanditseffectontheTurkishcivilsociety.Indeed,theofficer
corpsinbothcountrieswasasmallbutinfluentialgroupofthesocietyforthe
furtherdevelopmentoftheirnations.ManyofthepresidentsofrepublicanTur-
keywere,atleasttosomeextent,eitherincontactwithGermanofficersorhad
contacttoGermanmilitaryknowledgeatearlierstagesoftheircareers.¹⁰¹
Thecontinuitiesafter 1918 areofimportanceinChapter4.Throughtheanal-
ysisofthepostwarassessmentoftheOttomanWorldWarperformanceonthe
Germanside,theimplicationsandpossiblelessonsareshown.ThestateofMus-
tafaKemalwasbutonerolemodelformanyconservativeofficers,sincetheGer-
HasanÜnder,“ 30 ’larinDersKitaplarındanveKemalizm’inKaynaklarındanBiri:MilletiMü-
sellahaveMedeniBilgiler”[Oneofthe 19 30sTextbooksandtheSourcesofKemalism:TheNa-
tioninArmsandtheCivicsTextbook]TarihveToplum 19 2(1999), 46 – 56.
TheonlyexecptionisCelalBayar,whohadalsoworkedintheDeutscheOrientBankinthe
OttomanEmpire;cf.CamillaDawletschin-Linder,DienerseinesStaates:CelalBayar(1883– 19 86)
unddieEntwicklungdermodernenTürkei(Wiesbaden:Harrassowitz, 20 03).Thelastpresidentin
linewasFahriKorutürk,whoduringhistimeasanavalattachéinBerlingaveapresentationon
thebattleofJütlandbackinAnkara;cf.FahriKorutürk,SkagerrakDenizMuharebesiHakkında
BirKonferans[ALectureontheBattleofJutland](Ankara:GenelkurmayBaşkanlığı,1 93 7).
24 1Introduction