4German-TurkishMilitary Cooperationafter 1918
ChapterOutline
AfterthedefeatoftheCentralPowersin1918,thesocialpostionoftheGerman
andthepost-Ottomanarmychangeddramatically.Yetcommissionedofficersof
botharmiescouldretaintheirinfluentialstatuswithinthestate,asindicatedby
thepresidencyofthetwomostdistinguishedgeneralsinbothrepublics.The
armedforce’sactiveleadershiphadtoaccepttheprimacyofpoliticsinTurkey,
orratherendureitintheGermancase.¹Nevertheless,therelationsofbothar-
mieswereaffectedbythepastalliance,sincesomeoftheleadingTurkishoffi-
cersmusthavebeendrivenbytheTurkishproverb,hence“anoldfriendwill
neverbeafoe.”²
Themotto‘afterthewarisbeforethewar’appliesparticularlytomilitaryaf-
fairs.Officersofbothsidesbegantoanalyzethecourseofwar,itscampaignsand
outcomes.Withnolimitationsimposedbywartimecensorship,expertscould
nowexpressviewsthatwereabsentinearlierevaluations.Asusual,inthepro-
ductionofmilitaryknowledge,thequestionof‘lessonslearned?’wasdealtwith
extensively.Thefirstpartofthischapterwillthusexplorethesedebatesandthe
oftendivergingviewsofGermanandespeciallytheTurkishveteranofficers.How
didtheTurkishsideratetheOttomanparticipationinthewar?Whatwerethe
lessonsforfurthercooperation?WithregardtotheGermanevaluationofthe
war,thereisalsothequestionofwhethertherewereanyOttomanwarfareprac-
ticesthatfoundtheirwayintothestrategyplanningoftheReichswehrandthe
Wehrmacht.
ThememoirsinthoseyearsprovidedinsighttotheGerman-Ottomanalli-
anceforthefirsttime.Thiswaspreviouslyrestrictedbylostorstillconfidential
sourcesandtheconsiderationofpersonalsensibilities,asinthecaseofLiman
vonSander’smemoirs,whichwerepublishedquiteearly.WithTurkishmemoirs
thiswasevenmorethecase.Insignificantremarkscouldalreadyhavejuridical
repercussions.Onthesegroundswecanstatethatthefearofdefamationsuits
preventedmanyveteransfromopenlyexpressingtheirviewsorevenfromjoin-
ingthedebate,asthischapterwillshow.
OnTurkeyseeBülentDâver,“Military’sPoliticalRoleduringtheWarofIndependence,1 919 –
19 22,”RevueInternationaled’HistoireMilitaire 67 (1988), 201 – 20 7;WilliamHale,“TheTurkish
RepublicanditsArmy, 1923 – 1960 ,”TurkishStudies 12 – 2( 20 11), 191 – 20 1;fortheReichswehr/
WehrmachtseeGeyer,“DerzurOrganisationerhobeneBurgfrieden,” 86 – 100.
“Eskidostdüşmanolmaz.”
https://doi.org/10.1515/978 3110554786 -004