BackhomemostoftheOttomanofficershadnotevenknowntheeveryday
lifeoftheirsoldiers.⁸⁵ThereforetheGermanwayofeducatingthedraftedmen
fromalllayersofsocietymadeanimpressionontheOttomanofficers.After
hismaneuvervisitofthePrussiancontingentinAlsace-Lorrainein1901,colonel
PertevcommentedontheapproachofGeneralHaeseler:
“HeevenaskedthemenwhereTurkeywaslocated,andwhatthenameofitscapitalwas.
[...]Oftentheyhadthepointofviewofasmallchildanddidhavenoclueofthesimplest
terms.Whattheyansweredingeography,historyandmilitarysciencetheyhadlearnedin
theirbarelyfourmonthstraining.”⁸⁶InPertev’sopinion,thearmywasthe“firstandbesteducationestablishmentof
theGermannation[Volk].”⁸⁷Theideaofthearmyastheschoolofthenationbe-
cameanOttomanidealthatwasnotfullyputintopracticeuntil1918.⁸⁸Butnot
everyOttomanofficerwhohadservedinGermanyleftdetailednotesonhisim-
pressions.EkremRüştü[Akömer]servedwiththe3rdGuardUhlansRegiment
fromDecember 1911 untilhewascalledbackinOctober 1912 .Heonlykepta
dairyofhisdailyroutinelackinganypersonalremarks,focusingonhishorse
ridinglessonsfortheGermanrecruits,horsebackhuntsandnightlifeactivities.⁸⁹
Thelongestreportavailable,whichgivesinsightintotheimpressionsofOttoman
officersintheantebellumGermanarmy,waspublishedbyLieutenantMustafa.
HehaddoneaninternshipwiththeGrenadierRegimentKingFriedrichWilhelm
II(1stSilesian)No. 10 inSchweidnitz(Świdnica).DuringhisthreemonthsinSi-
lesiainthesummerof 1912 ,hewitnessedmanythingsthatseemedtohavebeen
noteworthyfortheOttomanmilitaryreadership.TheOttomanGeneralStaffhad
approvedthepublicationofMustafa’sreportinthejournal’sspecialsummervol-
YücelYanikdağ,“EducatingthePeasants:TheOttomanArmyandEnlistedMeninUniform,”
MiddleEasternStudies, 40 – 6( 20 04), 92 – 108.
Pertev[Demirhan],UnterGrafvonHaeseler:PersönlicheErinnerungen(Berlin:E.S.Mittler,
1904), 28 – 29.
Pertev,UnterGrafvonHaeseler,2 8 – 29.
Cf.the 1915 statementinanOttomanmilitaryperiodical:“TheGermanfieldregulationpre-
scribes:ʻInadditiontothephysicalandmilitarytrainingtheworthofasoldierisconditionedby
moralandmentalpowers.’HereinlaysthebigtaskoftheGermanofficer,whobecomesasecond
schoolmasterforthe[enlisted]man.[...]AndIcanaddthatthosearethesameprinciples,that
areinstilledinourarmyandnavybytheGermanmilitaryandnavalmissionseriouslyandforce-
fully,and[...]which[...]areseekedtobeexecutedbyEnverPashatoeliminatetherecentset-
backs.”MehmedZeki:“Siegen!,”DieNationalverteidigung,1October 1915 ,1 16 – 11 7.
Cf.Akömer,“AusdenTagebücherneinesWaffenbruders,” 79 – 89.
TheGermanWayofSoldieringintheEyesoftheOttomanOfficers 47