army,IamspeakingoftheintelligentsiaoftheTurkishnationwhoarethetrueownersofthis
country.[...]TheTurkishnation[...]considersitsarmytheguardianofitsideals.”²⁰²Thesesimilaritiesinthemilitarythinkingofbotharmiesarestriking.Thuswe
canstatethatGeneralHindenburgwasrightwhenhewroteinhismemoirs
thattheGermanmilitaryassistancehadnotonlyconsistedofamaterialside,
buthadalsohelpedtopreparethesubsequentnationbuilding mentally.²⁰³
Thisassistancecontinuedintheyearsbetween 1925 and 1939.
GermanstotheLectureRoomFont, 1925 – 1939
IntheinterwarperiodtheGermaninstructorsoutnumberedtheinstructorsfrom
othernations.Between 1925 andthebeginningoftheSecondWorldWar, 24 re-
tiredarmyand 12 retirednavyofficersintotaltaughtattheTurkishmilitaryacad-
emyinIstanbul.WhiletherearenoreliablenumbersoftheFrenchinstructors
availableforthetimebefore 1939 ,theactivitiesofeightBritishandfiveAmerican
officersaredocumented.²⁰⁴TheBritishairforceinstructorLeerecalledthestrong
orientationtowardsGermanyin1 93 8:
“DuringthepasttwentythreeyearsGermanmilitarydoctrinesandinfluencehadhada
clearfield.Thestaffcollegesweretheonlycenterofhighermilitarytraining,andhere,
sincethelastwar,Germaninstructorshadservedcontinuously,uptotenatatime,
manyofthemgeneralsandadmiralswithdistinguishedwarrecords.”²⁰⁵Though,aftertheexperiencesofWorldWarOne,theTurkishsidewasanxiousto
preventadominanceofGermaninstructorsandFrenchspecialistswerealso
hired.Thestaffattheacademydecidedtoalsomakeuseofthemilitarystrengths
oftheinstructors’countryoforigin.WhiletheFrenchinstructorsmainlytaught
defensivetacticsandmilitaryengineering,theGermansconcentratedonthehis-
toryofwar,attackwarfareandstrategy(tabiye).²⁰⁶However,theTurkishmilitary
Atatürk’ünSöylevveDemeçleri[AtatürkʼsSpeechesandStatements].Vol.2,2nded.(Ankara:
TürkTarihKurumu, 195 9), 269 – 27 0.Cf.Harris,“TheRoleoftheMilitaryinTurkishPolitics,” 56.
Hindenburg,AusmeinemLeben,3 10.
FortheGermansseeAnonymous,DeutscheOffiziereinderTürkei,4 5 – 48 ;Fortheotherna-
tionsseeİskora,HarpAkademileriTarihçesi,vol.2, 35.
Lee,SpecialDuties,8.
Akyaz,AskerîMüdahalelerinOrduyaEtkisi,3 5 – 36.
GermanstotheLectureRoomFont, 1925 – 1939 207