totriggerjobamongthedetestedmasses.¹³⁸Byorganizingamarchwithback-
packs,Diemandhisfriendscouldpersuadethearmyleadershipthatsoldiers
thattrainedthroughsportactivitieshadmoreendurancethanthosethattrained
inamoretraditionalway.TherebyDiemalsocontributedtoelicitingarmysup-
portforphysicalsactivities.¹³⁹Athleticsandphysicalexercisesstrengthenedthe
psychologicalresistanceandalsohadtheadvantageofincludingautonomous
contestsinsmallgroups.Thiswasoneofthemodelsforfuturewarfavoured
bysomeofficersalreadybefore 191 4.¹⁴⁰Theseideaswereputintomilitaryprac-
ticeduringtheFirstWorldWar.¹⁴¹Inaddition,forbothDiemandSelimSırrı,the
interpretationofcontemporaryconflictsalsocontributedtoreorientingofsports
towardsmilitaryissues.
DiemandthePurposeofSport:Militarization
TheoutcomeoftheRusso-Japanesewarin1 904 /05hadinfluencedthementality
ofmanymilitaryandcivilianauthors,amongthemalsoColmarvonderGoltz
andseveralOttoman officers.¹⁴²ForDiem,Japanesevictoryin 1904 /05had
beentheoutcomeofthebettertrainedJapanesesoldiers.Thisviewwascon-
firmedbyDiemʼsexperienceduringhismilitaryserviceinthesameyear,
whenheexperiencedtheadvantagesofatrainedbodyduringexercise.Diem
propagated thevoluntarybackpackmarchingonthe weekends toprepare
youngmenformilitaryserviceandtheirtasksinfutureconflicts,alsomention-
ingtheinterestsoftheGermansasa‘nationinarms’,usingthepopularsloganof
ColmarvonderGoltz’.¹⁴³LikeSelimSırrıaftertheBalkanWar,duringthewar,
Cf.PeterTauber“ʻJehärterSportundSpiel,umsobesserersetzensieunsdenKrieg.ʼSport
alsErziehungsmittelundTeildermilitärischenAusbildungderReichswehrderWeimarerRepub-
lik,”in‘MensSanainCorporeSano’:Gymnastik,Turnen,SpielundSportalsGegenstandderBil-
dungspolitikvom18.biszum21.Jahrhundert.ed.MichaelKrüger(Hamburg:Czwalina, 20 08), 80.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,70.
Tauber,“JehärterSportundSpiel,” 81 etseq.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,1 19 ;cf.Raths,VomMassensturmzurStoßtrupptaktik,32et
seq.
Cf.Krethlow,GeneralfeldmarschallGoltz,2 86 etseq.;RenéeWorringer,OttomansImagining
Japan:East,MiddleEast,andNon-WesternModernityattheTurnoftheTwentiethCentury(New
York:PalgraveMacmillan, 2014 ), 43 – 78.
Diem’s1 908 referencequotedafterBecker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,72.
132 3German-Ottoman/TurkishCooperationintheMobilizationofYouth