owntroops?DidtheGermanofficersundergoalearningprocessanddidtheGer-
manarmyasawholedrawsomeconclusionsoutofitsexperience?
ThereasonsfortheOttomanpreferencefortheGermanconductofwarwill
beanalyzedfirst.Regardingthemilitarymissionsforabetterunderstandingof
theGermanintentionsandthehostcountry’sexpectationsacomparativeanal-
ysisoftheworkofGermaninstructionofficersintheChileanandtheOttoman
armywillbeundertakeninthefollowingchapter.TheimportantroleoftheGer-
manmilitaryattachéWaltervonStrempelforthepromotionoftheGermanmili-
taryprestigewillbecomeevidentintheanalysisofhisreportstoBerlin.TheOt-
tomancasewillbeanalyzedingreaterdetailbyexploringColmarvonderGoltz’
counselingintheOttomanarmybetween 1908 and 1910 .Thereafter,Iwillexam-
inethepracticeofsendingGermanmilitaryinstructorstotheOttomanlandsand
theexperiencesofOttomansoldiersduringtheireducationinGermanybetween
1910 and 1912 .AfterreviewingtheoutcomeoftheBalkanWarsin1912/ 13 ,the
GermanmilitarymissionunderOttoLimanvonSanderswillbethefocusof
thischapter,followedbyananalysisofmutuallessonsoftheGerman-Ottoman
allianceduringtheFirstWorldWar.
OttomanReasonsforchoosingthe‘GermanWayofWar’
ThemainelementsofPrussianwarfaresincethelate 17 thcenturyhaveincluded
rapidattacks,aflexibleformofcommandandcontrol,andtheuseofthelatest
availablearmamenttechnology.Italsoincludedthepracticeofkeepingcam-
paignsasshortaspossible,sincethesmallkingdomwassurroundedbypoten-
tialadversaries.Decisivevictoryhadtobesoughtinordertoavoidfatiguing
wars.ThisPrussianstrategyandthevictoriousPrussianarmyemanatingfrom
theGermanunificationwarsbecameadominatingfactorintheImperialarmy,
therebyconferringtheʻPrussianmilitaryspiritʼontotheformerlyindependent
armiesoftheGermankingdomsandsmallerprincipalities.⁴Especiallythetrain-
ingofofficershadbeensynchronized,leadingtotheimplementationofPrussian
instructionsalloverGermany.Offensivemobilewarfareandthewilltoannihi-
latetheenemy’sforcesinencirclementbattlesgainedeminentimportancein
thethinkingoftheGermanmilitaryleadershipuntil 191 4.⁵TheOttomanEmpire
RudolfAbsolon,DieWehrmachtimDrittenReich,vol.1.2nded.(Munich:BoldtimOldenbourg
Verlag,1998),3.
RobertMichaelCitino,TheGermanWayofWar:FromtheThirtyYears’WartotheThirdReich
(Lawrence:UniversityPressofKansas,2005),XI-XIV.
OttomanReasonsforchoosingthe‘GermanWayofWar’ 27