The \'German Spirit\' in the Ottoman and Turkish Army, 1908-1938. A History of Military Knowledge Transfer - Gerhard Grüßhaber

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ThecoursesmentionedbyBraunwereintenseforbothsides.Inalltheclasses,a
Turkishinterpreter,inmanycasesolderofficerswhohadservedintheGerman
armybefore 191 4,translatedsentencebysentenceforthestudents.Thisalsoled
totheyounggenerationofTurkishstaffofficersgettingusedtotheGermanlan-
guagefromtheverybeginning.²¹⁶
Duringhisthreeyearsofservice,WilhelmvonKlewitzalsowroteadozenin-
structionbooksaboutstrategyandgeneralstaffservice.²¹⁷However,healso
gatheredmilitaryrelatedinformationsandsentreportstoGermanyonaregular
basis.In 1926 KlewitzdescribedtheGeneralStaffexcursiontotheTurkishstraits,
wherethepossibilitiesofmoderndefenseagainstfutureinvasionsbyseawere
evaluated.Klewitzstudiedthecombinedarmswarfareofnavyandairforce,ane-
glectedtopicintheGermanarmyandnavyduetoaramamentrestrictions.This
wasalsoagreatopportunitytoadvisetheTurkishstaffofficerstoacquireGer-
manJunkersA20airplanesforaerialreconnaissance.Klewitzsuggestedthat
theJunkersrepresentativesshouldusethismaneuverasasalesargument,but
shouldnotmentionhisname.RegardinghisjourneytoinnerAnatoliaKlewitz
pointedtothemountainousareasandtheneedformorespecializedmountain
infantryandfor(Germanmade)machineguns.²¹⁸Withregardtothequestion
ofuniforms,Germaninstructorshadfoundagoodcompromise.Onaphotograph
depictingKlewitzandthenavalinstructorAdmiralErnstvonGagern(18 78 –
1954),bothmenworeuniform-likeclothes.²¹⁹
Fortheyear 1927 anotherreportistraceable,mostlikelywrittenbyKlewitz.
FromtheinsightgainedduringtheGeneralStaffjourneyinAnatoliatheauthor
stated:


Kocatürk,BirSubayınAnıları,81.
Kleviç,Tabiye:HarpAkademisi3.Sınıf[Strategy:3rdYearoftheWarAcademy],2vols.(Is-
tanbul:Erkân-ıHarbiyeMektebiMatbaası,1 92 6);Kleviç,Erkân-ıHarbiyeVezâifi[GeneralStaff
Service],(Istanbul:Erkân-ıHarbiyeMektebiMatbaası,1 92 6);Kleviç,ÜçüncüSeneTedrisatına
AidDemiryoluHarbOyunu[MilitaryRailway(War)Gameforthe3rdYearGrades](Istanbul:
Erkân-ıHarbiyeMektebiMatbaası,1 92 7);bothpublishedinneweditionseveryyear.Seealso
KleviçandSüleyman,HarpAkademisiÜçüncüSenedeVonKleviçBey’inTabiyeTedrisatınaAid
GeriHidmetiKonferanslarıRearServicesConference:BelongingtotheStrategyCoursebyMr.
KlewitzintheWarAcdemy;3rdyear
.
Klewitz’sreporttoLevetzow,19May 1926 .BA-MA 23 9/ 66 ,8 8 – 90 .Itremainsunclearifthis
reportwasonlyintendedforarmamentsalesbyLevetzowsnetworkinGermanyorifanother
copywasalsodeliveredtotheReichswehr.
Cf.AskeriMüzeF5 72 :Klewitzinridingbootsandbreechesandhispatchpocketjacket
withtheflatcapresemblingtheTurkisharmy’sofficersdress.AdmiralvonGagernhadadapted
totheTurkishnavyofficer’suniformwithhiscaptain’scap(PrinzHeinrich-Mütze)andthedark
double-breastednavyblazer.


210 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918

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