TurkeywouldhavefacedasimilarfatetothatoftheseEuropeanarmies.Thisbe-
cameobviousinHitlerʼsthreateningstatements,whichwereintendedtoreassure
hisBulgarianally:
“TheFührerisoftheopinionthattheTurkswouldnotdaretoattack.Theywouldknow
exactlythatasinglemisconductontheirsidewouldbeenoughandConstantinople
wouldceasetoexist.Theundefendedcitywouldbeextinguishedwithinashorttime,as
ithadhappenedinCoventryandBirmingham.Inaddition,militarily,theywerepoorlypre-
pared.[...]HewascurioustoseehowtheTurkswouldattacksomeGermantankdivi-
sions.”³³⁴Thisbeingthecase,theWehrmachtanditsBulgarianallywereconvincedthat
sixBulgariandivisionsandtheGerman“[...]tankdivisionsandtheairforce
[basedinRomania]keepTurkeyentirelyincheck.”³³⁵Onthecontrary,aGerman
raidonTurkishterritorycouldnotberesistedefficientlybytheinadequateTurk-
ishforces.TheBritishairforceinstructor,Lee,agreedthatneutralitywasthebest
choiceinthissituation:
“[Turkey’s]cavalryandtroopscouldnothaveresistedastrongarmouredforceforlong.
Oncethearmystartedtoretreattoavoidbreak-through,itriskeddisasterbecauseit
couldnotretireintactfurtherthantheÇataljaLines.Beyondtheseitwouldbetrapped
bytheBosphorusandtheSeaofMarmara.”³³⁶Arepetitionofthe 1912 defeatwouldhavebeentheoutcome,butwithmuch
moresevereconsequencesintheageoftotalwar.Inthisregard,alearningproc-
esshadoccurred.FromtheTurkishpoliticalpointofview,Germanywasnota
trustworthyally,asithadbeenforpartsoftheOttomanleadershipin 191 4.
Giventheirexperience,theTurkishstaffofficersdistrustedGermanpropaganda.
GeneralAsımGündüz,Çakmak’sdeputy,hadinsideinformationfromtheWehr-
machtleadershipcircles:“IknewthecommandersintheGermanarmyvery
well.Wehadgonetothe[Berlin]waracademytogetherandagainhaddone
ourinternshipsattheGermanGeneralStafftogether.”³³⁷DuringavisittoBerlin
in 194 1,helearnedfromGermanChiefofStaff,WilhelmKeitel,thatthewar
againsttheSovietUnionwasseennegativelybytheArmedForcesHighCom-
ForthosestatementstowardsaBulgariandiplomatinNovemberandDecember,1 940 see
Hillgruber,StaatsmännerundDiplomatenbeiHitler,vol.1, 36 5, 38 3.
“NotesofameetingofGermanandBulgarianGeneralstaffofficers,” 10 February 194 1,
p. 8545 .IfZMünchenMA 180 Roll1.
Lee,SpecialDuties,33.
Gündüz,Hatıralarım,2 32.
Epiloge:LessonsLearned, 1939 – 1944/19 45 235