thefirstweeksoftheGermancampaign,callingtheBelgianFranctireursa“cow-
ardlyriff-raff”¹⁵⁷thatdeservedtobeexecutedandhavetheirhomesdestroyed.
DiemwitnessedGermanactsofviolenceagainstBelgiancivilians,buthealso
statedthathisunithadnotoverreactedduringthiscampaign.Hewasmorefo-
cusedonheroicacts,likethedeathofayounglieutenantrunningaheadofhis
men,“laughingasalways[...]untilthebulletshithim.”¹⁵⁸Buttherewasalso
gleamingevidenceoffear.Whenhegothitbyabulleton6September 1914
andwaslyingontheground,bleedingandwaitingforthestretcher-bearers,
hisonlythoughtwas“CanIeverdedicatemyselftomybelovedrowingwith
myinterleavedbreastmuscle?”¹⁵⁹Hisonlyfearwasnottobeabletodosports
again.Diemrecoveredandwaspromotedtofirstlieutenant.Hethenservedin
positionsclosetothefrontlineasajuniorstaffofficeruntiltheendofthe
war.Hereinthedivisionheadquartersheusedhisprewarexperienceandfurther
developedhisorganizationalskillsthatprovedofusewhenheorganizedmuch
biggersportseventsafterthewar.¹⁶⁰
Diemusedhisfreetimetoprepareseveralproposalsandpublications,some
ofthemfocusingonthemilitaryuseofsport.Inhis 1916 memorandumtothe
GermanMinisterofWar,DiemadvocatedforthephysicaleducationofeveryGer-
manmanpriortomilitaryservice.Theinstructionwastobecompulsorybutthe
individualchoiceofadisciplineshouldbeguaranteed.Diemproposedthatthe
BJDoranotherlocalstateauthorityshouldsupervisetheexecutionofthislaw,
thataimedat“theaudacityoftheyoungling”and“aneducationinthepatriotic
sensetoloveforthecountry,senseofsacrifice,subordination(discipline)”.¹⁶¹
Thoseyoungmen,justlikeintheOttomancase,wereeducatedtobecomeobe-
dientcitizens,whowerephysicallyandmentallyreadytodiefortheirnation.
ThesethoughtsweresimilartoSelimSırrı’sreferencetothefounderoftheGer-
manTurnermovement:“Eachyoungpatriotwhowishesthewelfareandriseof
thefatherland[vatan]shouldstrengthenhisownbodythroughphysicalexercis-
es.Nation,fatherlandandgymnasticsarethreewordsthatcannotbeseparated
fromeachother.”¹⁶²
ScherlsJungdeutschland-Buch(1915), 26 0.
ScherlsJungdeutschland-Buch(1915), 26 7.
ScherlsJungdeutschland-Buch(1915), 271 – 27 2.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,2 27.
Diem,OlympischeFlamme.vol3,1 122.
SelimSırrı,AlmanCimnastikleriveYan[GermanGymnasticsandJahn](Istanbul:Selanik
Matbaası,1 32 9/1913),18.Cf.ÖzçalıkandGrüßhaber,“ʻFrank,Fresh,Frish,FreeʼattheBospho-
rus?,”9.
TowardsaMilitantSpirit, 1914 – 1918 135