ideasGoltzhadlaidoutinhistreatise 25 yearsearlier.HisOttomanreadership
wasdelightedbytheseideas.Anofficerpraisedthearticleintheforewordtoits
translationinamilitaryjournal,elevatingitasamandatoryreading“fromthe
fieldmarshaldowntothefirstlieutenant.”³³
Goltz’Counseling, 1908 – 1910
Intheautumnof1908,theGermanophilesintheOttomanarmyurgedforaGer-
manmilitarymission.ForGeneralMahmudMuhtar,“theGermanarmywouldbe
thebestintheworldandareorganizationoftheTurkisharmycouldonlybesuc-
cessfulaccordingtothismodel.”³⁴AtthetopoftheOttomanwishlistwasthe
deploymentoftheformerheadofthemilitarymission,ColmarvonderGoltz,
whowasrequestedtowriteareportonthecurrentstateoftheOttomanland
forces.GoltzhadalreadyreachedretirementageandEmperorWilhelmIIhadde-
cidedagainstmakingGoltzthenewImperialChancellor.Alreadyin 1905 ,the
emperorhadpreferredMoltketheYoungeroverGoltzasthenewheadoftheGer-
manGeneralStaff.³⁵Thesixty-fiveyear-oldInspector-Generalwithoutactive
commandingdutieswasdisposableinGermany.TheGermanambassadorin
LondonsupportedthesendingofvonderGoltztocounterBritishclaimsfora
militarymission.HewrotethefollowingtotheGermanforeignministryon 29
September 1908 :“JustwiththeTurkisharmywecankeepourinfluenceand
withinitinturnmostsafelywithBaronvonderGoltz.”³⁶Themilitaryattaché
Strempeladdedthatthecurrentrestoredparliamentarymonarchycouldonly
lastanotherthreeandahalfyears.Accordingly,theconditionsfortheGerman
armywereclear:
“Those3,5yearsbyGoltzthefundamentwouldbelaidforthestrengtheningofGermanin-
fluenceduetothesympathiesofthearmyforGermanmilitaryaffairs.Thereforetakethe
opportunity,quicklyandfirmly,notwithsomeinstructors,butwithanunitedmilitarymis-
sion.”³⁷Anonymous,“GolçPaşaveFuadBey’inMektubu,”[GoltzPashaandFuadBeyʼsLetter]
Asker,1September 132 4/1908, 72.
MarschallvonBiebersteintoBülow,4September1908.AA-PAR 13795 ,54.
Krethlow,GeneralfeldmarschallGoltz,2 65 – 26 6.
MetternichtoAA, 29 September1908,AA-PAR 13253 ,n.p.
MilitärberichtNr.172,6;n.d.AA-PAR 13254.
36 2ThePeakofKnowledgeTransfer