andschoolastheprimarystagesfornationalandpatrioticeducationwerenot
mentionedintheGermanoriginal,theyplayedaprominentroleintheTurkish
text.Theroleofdisciplineandothersoldierlyvaluesinbothtextswerequite
similar.Though,regardingtheindependent(“selbständig”/“müstakil”)thinking
anddecision-makingprocessthereweredeficiesintheTurkishdailyservice.²³³
ThroughhisGeneralStaffjourneystoAnatoliangarrisonsanddailyobservations
inIstanbul,MittelbergerassessedthestateofTurkishreformsthefollowingway:
“TheTurkisamasterofimprovisation.Itseemedtomethathissenseforthearduousor-
ganizingaccordingtoaplanhasnotyetbeendeveloped.[...]Also,theawarenesstobring
decisionsandmeasuresofmilitaryactionintotherightbalanceoftimeandspaceneeded
intensefacilitation.”²³⁴Besideshisofficialobligations,theBavarianGeneralfoundtimetodedicatehim-
selftootheractivities.MittelbergerdidnotkeepmuchdistancefromtheNational
Socialistregime,eventhoughhisdaughterlaterstatedthatherfather“hadnot
evenservedadayunderHitler.”²³⁵AfterhehadsettleddowninIstanbul,Mittel-
bergerbecameaffiliatedwiththelocalNSDAPgroup.Inhismemoirs,heclaimed
thatheandotherolderGermansjoinedtheNazipartybecausesomeyounger
memberscausedpublicéclatswiththeiruncontrolledappearance.²³⁶ForMittel-
berger,joiningthisright-wingcirclewaspartofhisrepresentativedutiesabroad.
HekeptquietabouttheAntisemitepropagandaoftheNSDAPmembers.²³⁷How-
ever,hehadhelpedthepresecutedMaximilianBrauninfindinganoccupation
onhisstaff,andheappreciatedtheGermanemigrantsinIstanbul,atleastin
hindsight:
“Thosedoctors,whether‘Aryan’oronly‘partiallyAryan’,representedtheGermanness
[Deutschtum],onaccountoftheirimmenseknowledgeandabilities,muchbetterand
withmoredignitythantheNationalSocialistpropagandists.”²³⁸biyeveMuharebe[InfantryRegulationvol1:Education,TrainingandCombat](Istanbul:Askerî
Matbaa, 1937 ),5.
Anonymous:AusbildungsvorschriftfürdieInfanterieandAnonymous,PiyadeTalimnamesi;
paragraph8inbothregulations.
Mittelberger,“WandererinvierWelten,”vol.3, 28.
H.MittelbergertoHansRothfels,22April 1955 .IfZMünchenZS 67 9,1.
Mittelberger,“WandererinvierWelten,”vol.3, 79.
AnneDietrich,DeutschseininIstanbul:NationalisierungundOrientierunginderdeutsch-
sprachigenCommunityvon 1843 – 1956 (Opladen:Leske+Budrich,1998), 353 – 357.
Mittelberger,“WandererinvierWelten,”vol.3,82.
214 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918