TheWatchattheBosphorus:GermanSoldiersinthe
OttomanCapital
InIstanbul,foradministrativeandtrainingpurposes(asinthecaseoftheafore-
mentionedassaulttroops),theGermanmilitarymissionhadgrownfrom 70 offi-
cersin 191 4toseveralthousandGermansoldiersofallranksduringthewar.The
GermanarmysupportedtheOttomanarmedforcesonalllevels.Whenoccupying
commandingposts,GermanofficersworkedunderthesupervisionofanOtto-
mansuperior.²⁸⁸
ThedailylifeoftheGermanNCOsandprivatesbetween 1916 and 1918 iswell
documentedinthepreserveddailyandweeklyIstanbulgarrisonorders.Theyre-
cordearlysignsofconflictbetweenthetwoAllies,resultingfrompublicmisbe-
haviorofGermansoldiers.EspeciallytheGermanrankandfileshadtobead-
monishedfordisobedientbehaviorinpublic.Excessivealcoholconsumption,
thedisregardtoabstainfromvisitingprostitutesandviolationofthearrivalto
thebarracksuntilthe9p.m.curfew(oracombinationofallthree)kepttheGer-
manmilitarypolicebusy.²⁸⁹Moreover,militarydisciplinehadtobemaintained
bystrictmeasures.Inordertopreventthecreationofracketeeringnetworks,
criminalincidentssuchastheunauthorizedsaleofGermanmilitaryproperty
byGermansoldierstoOttomansellersresultedintheregularreplacementof
membersoftheIstanbulgarrison.²⁹⁰
RegardingthediscoveryofaforeigneatingculturethedeploymenttoOtto-
manserviceofferedmanyopportunitiesfortheGermansoldiers.Atatimebefore
theageofmasstourism,mostoftheseGermanswereabroadforthefirsttimein
theirlife.Asthemajorityofsoldiershadnocommandofforeignlanguages,the
explorationoftheally’scapitalcitywasrestrictedtoculinaryenjoyment.Offi-
cially,thesoldierswereorderedtoeatintheGermangarrisons’canteens.The
GermanmilitarycateringestablishmentsservedmainlyGermandishesrelying
ontheingredientsthatwereavailableontheOttomanmarket.SinceGermansol-
AnoverviewcanbefoundinCarlMühlmann,Dasdeutsch-türkischeWaffenbündnisim
Weltkriege(Leipzig:Koehler&Amelang,1940), 318 – 32 6.Cf.alsoReichmann,TapfereAsker,
333 – 34 5.
OutofconsiderationfortheallyandquitecontrarytotheGermanpracticeatotherfronts,
theGermanmedicalserviceofthemilitaryadministrationdidnotmaintainamilitarybrothelfor
GermansoldiersinIstanbul.Cf.KlausWolf,Gallipoli1915:Dasdeutsch-türkischeMilitärbündnis
imErstenWeltkrieg(Sulzbach,Bonn:Report,2008), 65 ;LutzSauerteig,“Sexualität,”inEnzyklo-
pädieErsterWeltkrieg,8 37.
Wolf,Gallipoli 1915 ,66.SeealsotheGermanConstantinopleGarrisonorderNo. 17 4,dated
16 May1918.BayHStAIVHS 2254.
90 2ThePeakofKnowledgeTransfer