hadbenefittedby85percentfromtheconditionsofthealliancetreatysignedon
2August 191 4.Turkeywasexpectedtocalculatetherisksoffuturesimilarcon-
tractscarefully.Forthatpurpose,therepublicdidnotneedmilitaryruleinwar-
time.²⁰FromthisdebateitbecameevidentthatconditionshadchangedinTur-
keyandthatrenewedallegiancewithGermanywasquestionable.Thisalso
becameevidentinthedivergingassessmentofthewar-timecooperationinGer-
manandTurkishmilitaryjournals.
BetweenSelf-AssertionandBlameShifting
IntheGermanmilitarypress,theintensedebateoverthepurposeofwarhistory
cametoapeakontheoccasionofthe 20 thanniversaryoftheoutbreakofthewar.
OfcoursetheGermanarmywasregardedasthebestamongallfightingnations
byGermanveteranofficerssinceithadcarefullyanalyzedtheconflictsbefore
191 4.MistakesoftheGermanHighCommandwereplayeddown,andtheper-
formanceofthe“GermanSpiritandwillduringtheWorldWar”²¹wasratedas
excellent.Wetzellclaimed,quiteinthesenseofColmarvonderGoltz,²²that
theSupremeCommanderhadtobeselectedcarefullyamongthebestcandidates
inpeacetime.Wetzellhadtoacknowledgetheneedforseveralofthoseextraor-
dinarygiftedcommandersinwartime.Oneachofthedifferentfronts,including
theOttomanone,nomilitarygeniushadbeenincommand.²³Inthenarrow-
mindedworldoftheformerstaffofficers,therewasnospaceforcriticism.
Oneauthorwarnednottodiscussownmilitaryfailureinpublic,sincethe
younggenerationofreaderswouldonlystartaskingcriticalquestions.²⁴
ExactlythosecriticalquestionswereraisedintheTurkishpostwardebates.
Formanyanalysts,theGermanshadcomeoffeasy,since“[t]heGermanEmpire
hadfound an innocuous ally.”²⁵ Regarding the transferofinfantry attack
schemesfromtheWesternfronttotheOttomantheatersofwar,thestubborn
Zorbu,“Harb,SiyasaveAskerler,” 1021.
Wetzell,“Kriegslehren,”MWB 119 – 18 (1935),cols.6 83 – 686.
Goltz,NationinArms,4 5 – 111.
Wetzell,“Kriegslehren,”MWB 119 – 19 (1935),cols.7 24 ,7 27.
Badinski,“DieAufgabenunsererkriegsgeschichtlichenForschung,”MWB 119 – 36 (1935),
col. 1419 .TheauthorsfollowedanofficialguidlinefromtheoldImperialarmy;cf.Markus
Pöhlmann,KriegsgeschichteundGeschichtspolitik:DerErsteWeltkrieg;Dieamtlichedeutsche
Militärgeschichtsschreibung,1 914 – 1956 (Paderborn:Schöningh, 2002 ), 40.
ŞemsiZorbu,“ÇanakkaleNasılMüdafaaEdildi?”[HowwasÇanakkaledefended?],AM
53 – 98 (1935),763.
166 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918