[...][And]itwasnotastonishingthatmisunderstandingsoccurreddaily,orderswerenotor
nottimelygivenetc.”¹³⁸ThepoliticizationoftheOttomanofficercorpswasalsoseenasoneofthebig-
gesthindrancesformilitarysucessonthebattlefield.CaferAl-Askaricomplained
aboutEnverPasha,whowassolelyinterestedinhisownpoliticalcareer“spend-
ingmostofhistimeinpoliticalintrigueswiththeleadersoftheCUPinanen-
deavortooverturnthegovernmentandreplaceitwithoneofpurelyUnionist
composition.”¹³⁹Thosepoliticaldevelopmentsbehindthefrontweretohave
animpactonthefurtherdevelopmentoftheGerman-Ottomanrelationsonthe
eveoftheFirstWorldWar.AsaprotestagainstthefallofEdirne,EnverPasha
andseveralofhisCUPfollowersonraidedtheSublimePorteandkilledtheOtto-
manministerofwar,NazımPasha,on23January 1913 .Thisveritableputschdur-
ingwarbroughtEnverPashaandtheleadingmembersoftheCUPtopower.¹⁴⁰
Meanwhile,thearmystruggledtoholdthelinesinthefield.Thetroopsre-
ceivedreinforcementsfromotherOttomanarmycorps,whoseadvancetothe
fronthadtakenweeksduetothebadroadconditions.Inthefront,sanitarycon-
ditionsweremostlyinadequate,anddiseasesspreadamongtheOttomantroops.
Soldiers’neglectofbasicpersonalhygienecausedinfections.¹⁴¹Inaddition,Ot-
tomanofficersweredisinterestedintheadequatesupplyoftheirrankandfiles
withenoughfood.EndreswastoldbyanOttomanstaffofficerthat“theTurkish
soldierdoesnotneedmorethanasmallcrumbofbread.”¹⁴²
SomeoftheGermanofficerssupportedtheharshpunishmentmethodsof
theOttomanofficersincaseofdisobedience.TheBavariancavalryCaptain,
CountJohannKasparvonPreysing-Lichtenegg-Moos,wasknownforviolentbe-
haviortowardshissubalternsinthreecases,whichhadbeenpenalizedbydis-
ciplinary measures.Count Preysingwas infamousfor his “lively tempera-
ment.”¹⁴³ It is, therefore, not surprising thathewas delighted by the
punishmentmethodoftheOttomanGeneralMahmud Muhtar,who“heavily
beatupamilitarydoctorandseveraldesertedsoldierswitharidingcrop;anec-
essarymeasurethat[...]visiblyelatedPreysing.”¹⁴⁴
Schaerer,“FranzCarlEndres,”9.
Al-Askari,ASoldier’sStory,44.
Akmeşe,TheBirthofModernTurkey,1 33 – 135.
OttovonLossow,“BerichtedesbayerischenOberstleutnantsOttovonLossowausdemtür-
kischenKrieg1912/ 13 ,”BayHStAIVGS 26 0,18.
Endres,“TeilnahmeamBalkankrieg,” 19.
SeetheentriesinPreysingʼspersonalfile,BayHStAIVOP 4639 7.
Hochwächter,MitdenTürkeninderFront,93.
TheBalkanWars,1912/13:TestingGroundforthe‘GermanSpirit’ 59