TheseideaswerequitetothelikingoftheOttomanmilitaryleadership.Afterthe
traumaticdefeatintheempire’swesternterritories,measuresweretakentore-
formtheOttomanmilitary’schainofcommand.Theleveloftrainingforser-
geantswasincreasedinordertofacilitatetheircontributiontotheinstruction
ofrecruits:
“TherehastobeanoticeabledistinctionbetweenNCOandrankandfiles,onethatdoesnot
incidentallyexcludecomradery.Therelationshipshouldbelikebetweenolderandyounger
brothers.Oneshouldnotforgetthat,unfortunately,themajorityofoursoldiersareunedu-
catedandarecomparabletobigchildren.[...]Thecareerofasubalternhastoinclude[fi-
nancial]securityforlife,andthecorporalmustbeabletocountonreceivingacivilianpo-
sitionthatsupportshimandhisfamilyafterhavingservedseveralyearsinthearmy.We
findthis[system]inGermany,France,Italy,England,inshort,inallEuropeancountries
[...].”²⁰³GeneralAliNushetarguedthatthissystemofNCOtrainingshouldalsobeap-
pliedintheOttomanarmysubsequently.Theenvisionedreformswereineffect,
especiallyafterfull-scalemobilization.Duetothewartimeaccelerationofthe
modernizationofNCOtraining,MehmedZekinotedthefollowinginaneditorial:
“ThegreatsuccessesoftheGermanarmy[are]partiallyowedtothenon-commissionedof-
ficercorpsofourally.[...]Thankstothehardworkofourinstructors,theTurkishcorporal
todayisthecopyofhisbrotherinarmsandally.[...]Itisunderstoodthatthosepeopleare
awarethataftersomeyearstheirfutureinthecivilserviceissecuredandthereuponthey
canstartafamily,bestowingonthemthesamepatrioticeducationthattheyhadre-
ceived.”²⁰⁴Eventhoughthisstatementservedpropagandisticpurposesandthereforewas
exaggerated,theoutcomeofthispolicywastobecomevisibleduringtherepub-
licanera,whenformercorporalsandlowrankingofficersbecameschoolteach-
ersafterhavingservedinthearmedforces.²⁰⁵
GeneralMehmedAliNushetPaşa,“DieStellungderUnteroffiziereinunsererArmee,”Die
Nationalverteidigung,15November/1December 1912 ,2.
MehmedZeki,“DasKorpsderUnteroffiziere,”DieNationalverteidigung,1May1915,40.
Cf.BarakSalmoni,“TheʽTeacher’sArmy’anditsMiniatureRepublicanSociety.Educator’s
TraitsandSchoolDynamicsinTurkishPedagogicalPrescriptions,1 923 – 1950 ,”Comparative
StudiesofSouthAsia,AfricaandtheMiddleEast 21 – 1( 20 01), 61 – 72.
FromÇatalcatoÇanakkale:AlltheOtto’smen,July 1913 – August 1914 73