fromtheFirstWorldWar,eventhoughtheworthofanarmoredspearheadwas
acknowledged:“HadtheGermansdeployedamechanizedcavalrybrigadeatthe
Westernfrontin 191 4afterthebattleofCharleroi,theywouldhavedecisively
forcedtheBritishtowithdrawandwouldhaveconqueredtheregionofParis
within 48 hours,withoutanyresistance.”³⁰⁶
BasedonTurkishmaneuverexperiencesinThrace,theparticipantsofthe
debateonmotorizationcametodifferentconclusions.ThepoorTurkishroad
conditionslimitedtheuseoftrucksatthefrontline,whereasthecavalrycould
accessanyterrain.Mountedunitswerestillneededtocoverthegapsbetween
armoredandmotorizedunits.Thisviewbyacavalryofficerconcludedwithref-
erencestoGermanandFrenchexperts.³⁰⁷Theessaywasrepudiatedbyatank
officer.Inmodernarmiesthecavalryhadnochanceincombatwhenitencoun-
teredanarmoredenemy.ThustheTurkishcavalryunitshadtobedisbandedin
thefuture,sincetanktracksweresuperiortohorsehooves.IfTurkeywastobe
defendedagainstamodernarmedenemy,itsownarmedforceshadtobeequip-
pedaccordingly.³⁰⁸
MotorizationoftheTurkisharmedforcesinthe 19 30swashamperedmainly
bytwofactors.Firstly,theunderdevelopedinfrastructurediminishedthefullac-
cessibilityofthewholecountry;aviewthatwasalsoconfirmedbyMaximilian
Braun.FortheBavarianofficer,thehorsebackjourneysoftheTurkishGeneral
Staffinthe Anatolianhinterlandhadopenedhiseyes:“Mountainshigher
than 2800 meters,deepvalleys,steepsmallgorgesandbroadheathlandcon-
firmedmyview.Noengineisdesignedtoenduretheselongroads.”³⁰⁹Secondly,
financialburdenspreventedamassiveimportofmotorvehiclesforthearmy.The
trucksfromGermany,France,CzechoslovakiaandtheSovietUnioncouldonly
beprocuredinsmallnumbers,nottospeakoftheevenmoreexpensivePraga
ForthenationwideregistrationofanimalsseeTekeliandİlkin,İkinciDünyaSavaşıTürkiyesi,
108.
CelalErgun,“SüvarininMakineleşmesineDoğru”[TowardstheMechanizationoftheCav-
alry],SM 12 – 10 2( 19 37),45.ThecriticismofallegedGermanincompetenceduringtheFirstBattle
oftheMarnecontinuedunabatedintheTurkishmilitarypress,cf.İskora,TürkOrdusuKurmaylık
(Erkânıharbiye)Tarihçesi,72.
Y.Cindoruk,“SüvariileMotorluVasıtalarArasındabirTetkik”[AStudyoftheCavalryand
MotorizedUnits],SM 13 – 105 (1938), 20 – 21.
CelalAlkoç,“SüvariileMotorluVasıtalarArasındabirTetkikAdlıYazıHakkındaDüşünce-
lerim”[MyThoughtsregardingtheEssay‘AStudyoftheCavalryandMotorizedUnits’],SM 14 –
10 7( 19 38), 1 – 12.
Braun,“ÖlmezSüvari”[TheImmortalCavalry],AM 56 – 108 (1938), 18 5.
230 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter 1918