Thearmydecidedtofocusonmobileandflexibleartillerybatteries.The
standardworkonthisissuereferredtoHansWehrle’s‘flyingbatteries’during
theGallipolicampaign.¹⁰⁴KlingbeildidnotfocusontheOttomandefenders.
SolelytheGermansidewasimportantforhisstudy.Inhisgeneralassessment
ofthecampaign,hepleadedforflexibleartilleryunitsmovingbetweenprepared
firingpositions,sinceGermanywasnotallowedtomaintainheavyartillerybe-
causeoftheVersaillesTreaty.TheGermancoastdefenseswerenottobemadeof
concretesincetheywerevulnerabletoheavyshipartilleryshelling.Moreover
flexibilitywasofparamountimportance,supportedbyreservetroopsinthehin-
terlandoutofthereachoftheenemy’snavalartillery.¹⁰⁵
Onthecontrary,theGermannavydrewentirelydifferentlessonsfromthe
Çanakkalecampaign.Atthenavy’scoastartilleryschool,theOttomanvictory
inGallipolihadproventhesuperiorityofcoastaldefensesandthedifficultyof
theenemy’snavalartillerytodestroythem.Therehadbeenarainofshrapnell
onthedefendersthathadevenpenetratedthefort’searthwork.In 191 7theGer-
mansevenbroughtaheavynavalcoastalbatterytoCanakkaleinordertoshell
theislandofImbros.TheAlliedfleethadtowithdrawtotheothersideoftheis-
landandthereforecouldnotpreventOttomannavaloperationssouthoftheDar-
danelles.TheexperienceinthedefenceagainstBritishlandingattemptsinFlan-
dersin 191 7hadalsoproventhesuperiorityoflandbasednavalartillery.¹⁰⁶The
debatewasalsoconductedintheMilitär-Wochenblatt.ErichKlingbeilrepeated
hisfavorforthearmyʼsdominanceinthecoastdefenceandpointedtothedan-
gerousdispersionoftheownforces,ifthewholecoastlinewouldbesecuredby
fortifications.Inafuturewar,thearmy,navyandairforceweretocooperatein
thedefenceofthenationalshores.PointingtoseveralexamplesfromtheGer-
manwarcampaigns,fortheMajorGeneral,theOttomandefensein 1915 was
stillquiteimpressive,since
“[...]theTurkshadonlyquiteoldinstallationswithhighwalls[protrudingfromthesur-
roundingground]thatwereeasilyidentifiableandhadtoconductthedefensivefight
withinsufficientsuppliesofammunitionandunarmoredbatteries.”¹⁰⁷ErichKlingbeil,KüstenverteidigungundKüstenbefestigungimLichtederWeltkriegserfahrun-
gen(Charlottenburg:OffeneWorte, 1921 )basingonPrigge,“DieKampfhandlungenderTürkei,”
43 0.
Klingbeil,KüstenverteidigungundKüstenbefestigung,27.
WilhelmvonHarnier,ArtillerieimKüstenkampf(Munich:J.F.Lehmanns,1 96 9), 8 – 9, 17.
[Erich]Klingbeil,“Küstenbefestigungen,”MWB 121 – 24 (1936),col. 131 7.
MakingSenseofGallipoli 183