Tröbst alsoremarkedtheTurks abidingbytheengineeringregulation,
whereastheGermanofficerwasusedtoapplyingthe‘spirit’ ofthewritten
wordaccordingly.Inaddition,theTurkisharmyusedseveralprewarinstructions
fromGermanythathadbecomeoutdatedthroughtheexperienceofwar.¹⁴⁶The
Turkishofficer’sattitudetowardsthe‘untrustworthy’ArmeniansandGreekswas
acceptedbytheGermancaptainwithoutmuchcritique.Thoseideasseemedto
matchhisownworldviewfromhistimeintheGermanFreikorps,thoughtheGer-
mancaptain,withhisclassicalGreekeducation,replacedthosetwoenemy
groupswiththeJewsandBolsheviksinhismind.¹⁴⁷
However,alsointhelifeofamercenary,all‘good’thingshadtocometoan
end.Afterhislastpostingtoarailwayregiment,hiscontractwasterminateddue
tothepeacetreatywithGreeceinthesummerof1 92 3.DuringhistimeinTurkish
service,Tröbstalsohadcometoamorerealisticinsightregardingthedifficulties
ofthepastandcontemporaryGerman-Turkishmilitarycooperation.TheGerman
hirelingdisapprovedthewartimepracticesoftheGermanmilitarymission.The
Prussianwayofmilitaryeducationhadtobeafailure:
“[TheGermaninstructionofficer]ratedeverythingaccordingtoEuropeanstandardsandhe
believedinintroducingreformseverywhereinordertoachieverecordsandperform[...].
ThetypicalPrussian‘militarymind’[‘Kommißkopf’]doesnotfitforeignnations,itis
onlydesignedforthePrussianpsyche.”¹⁴⁸NearlyalloftheGermanveteranshadblamedtheTurkishsideintheirmemoirs,
butrarelyquestionedtheirownomissions.Thereforeitwasnosurprisethatthe
TurkisharmyoftherepublicrejectedmostoftheapplicationsofGermanofficers.
TheGermansidehadtofirstlearntheirlessonasaprerequisiteforfurtherco-
operation.¹⁴⁹InadditiontotheseconsiderationsTröbst’sfavorforauthoritarian
leadershipwasobvious.Writingaboutthesupremecommander,MustafaKemal,
hestated:“Thefategavethecountryinthemomentofseveresthardshipthe
man,[...]thatwe[inGermany]alsorequireandwhomwearewaitingforwith
consumptivefervor!”¹⁵⁰
Tröbst,Soldatenblut,1 75 ,1 90.
Tröbst,Soldatenblut,2 04 – 20 5.
HansTröbst,“DerdeutscheOffizierundSoldatunddie‘NeueTürkei’,”DOB 20 (19 25 ), 156 ;
ibid. 21 (19 25 ), 166.
Tröbst,“DerdeutscheOffizierundSoldatunddie‘NeueTürkei’,”DOB 21 (19 25 ), 16 7.
Tröbst,Soldatenblut,3 29.
CaptainHansTröbstintheGreco-TurkishWar, 1920 – 1922 193