servedintheOttomanarmy.Nevertheless,theTurkishmilitarypressdidnotrefer
todebatesinthosetwoperiodicals.ThesamealsoappliedfortheGermanmili-
tarypress,whichfocusedon theadvancementof practical andtheoretical
knowledgeinthearmiesofGermany’spotentialadversaries,butnotinthe
armyofitsformerally.Thismightalsohavebeenrelatedtothefactthatmore
specializedperiodicalsoftheTurkishmilitarypresswereavailableduringthe
Republicanperiodthatcouldhardlybeoverviewed.Inadditiontotheaforemen-
tionedAM,allofthemainbranchesoftheTurkisharmyfoundedtheirownpe-
riodical.Theserangedfromtheinfantry(PiyadeMecmuası;PM),cavalry(Süvari
Mecmuası;SM),artillery(TopçuMecmuası;TM)totheengineer’speriodical(T.C.
FenKıtaatıMecmuası),andeventoaspecialoneforthearmy’squartermaster’s
branch(LevazımMecmuası).Nonetheless,theTurkishperiodicalswerelimited
regardingtheirfreedomofopinion.Therefore,itiscorrecttostatethat,even
after 1933 ,theGermanmilitarypresshada“widerlegalmarginofoperation”.⁷
MostoftheseTurkishjournalsreferredtoGermanpublicationsortranslatedGer-
manarticlesfortheirreadership,followedbyarticlesfromFrench,Britishand
(rarely)Russianorigin.However,thiswastochangeinthebeginningofthe
19 30swhentheTurkisharmysetoutonitsownpath,particularlyinthefield
ofwarhistory.
Intermsoflessonsthatcanbedrawnfrommisinterpretingwarexperience,
biasedandincorrectreadingscanneverbefullyexcluded.Thishadalsobeen
thecasepriorto 191 4,whenthesiegeepisodesoftheRusso-Japanesewarhad
beenoverseen.TheJapanesevictoryhadbeenascribedtothetroops’highermo-
raleandanyevidencesofpossibletrenchwarfarehadbeenneglectedinGerma-
ny.⁸GermanmilitarystrategistspreferredawarimageinwhichGermanystooda
winningchance.Negativeaspects,suchasthesuperiorityoftheenemyforcesin
theEastandtheWestweresetaside,andmanyOttomanofficershadsharedthe
Germanself-confidence.After1918,theanalysisofthepastcampaignsalsobore
thedangerofcomingtowrongconclusionsandexcludingpossiblealternatives,
especiallybyneglectingone’sownsocietalandmilitarylimitations.⁹Itis,there-
fore,interestingtoseehowtheGermanandTurkishmilitaryanalystsperceived
theircommoneffortsduringtheFirstWorldWar.
Sencer,OrderandInsecurityinGermanyandTurkey,3.
WilliamC.Fuller,“WhatisaMilitaryLesson?,”inStrategicStudies:AReader,ed.ThomasG.
Mahnkenetal. 2 nded.(NewYork:Routledge,2 01 4), 29.
Fuller,“Whatisamilitarylesson?”,35.
‘LessonsLearned’?ALookattheSources 163