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

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ideologicalwarofWeltanschauungontheEasternfront.³⁴⁸Allegationsofapre-
ventedpro-Germanputschinthesummerof 194 2againsttheInönügovernment
byGermanophilecivilandmilitarycirclesinTurkey,followedbythepresumed
murderofPrimeMinisterİbrahimRefikSaydam,deservefurtherexploration
basedonTurkishsources.³⁴⁹
Itisalsointerestingtonotethatevenafterthisallegedputschandafterthe
GermandefeatinStalingrad,pro-GermanTurkishofficershadaclearfavorite:
“WealwayswishaGermanultimatevictory[Endsieg]againsttheRussians.”³⁵⁰
Nevertheless,thecivil governmentadheredtoitsneutralpolitics resulting
fromTurkey’sgeostrategicposition,whichdidnotexcludegoodrelationsand
tradewithallpartiesinvolvedinthewar.³⁵¹
InAugust 1944 theTurkishgovernmentbrokeoffdiplomaticrelationswith
GermanyanddeclaredwaronGermanyon 23 February 194 5.Therewereno
clasheswiththeGermanoccupationtroopsinnearbyGreece.³⁵²GeneralMittel-
bergerwaspartiallyrightwhenheconfirmedTurkishneutralityduringWorld
WarTwo:“Mostprobablyonlyduetothefactthatanarmyofatleastonemillion
soldierswasreadyforthedefenseoftheborders,Turkeywassparedfrombe-
comingatheaterofwar.”³⁵³


Conclusion


AftertheFirstWorldWartheGermanandtheTurkishsidehadusedtheoppor-
tunitytoreflectonthepastalliance.Duetoinaccessibleorlostarchivalmaterial,
nationalprideandconsiderationsofpersonalsensivitiesonbothsides,anabso-
lutelyopenassessmentwasnotpossible.However,moststudieshaverevealed
theinadequaciesoftheallianceinmanydetails.Thenegativeimageofbinding
oneselftoanothernationnurturedtheTurkishaversionagainstseekingsuchan
allianceinfutureconflicts.


“GermanycouldonlysolvetheRussianproblemifitwouldbeattodeathhalfofalltheliving
Russians.”SaraçoğluinaconversationwithPapen,August1 94 2.ADAPSerieE,vol3, 1974 ,4 11.
FortheGermansourcesregardingHitler’swarplanswithTurkeyandthepresumedputsch
seeHiltscher,Diedeutsch-türkischenBeziehungen 1940 – 42 ,1 36 ,3 86 – 39 3, 425 – 43 0.
ColonelAsımErentoMittelberger, 22 August 194 3.BA-MAN40/2,n.p.
Seeonthe 1942 – 194 5periodKlausSchönherr,“DieTürkeiimSchattenStalingrads.Vonder
‘aktivenNeutralitätʼzumKriegseintritt,”inStalingrad:Ereignis,Wirkung,Symbol,ed.JürgenFör-
ster(Munich,Zürich:Piper,1 99 2),3 97 – 41 5.
GotthardJäschke,DieTürkeiindenJahren1 942 – 1951:GeschichtskalendermitNamen-und
Sachregister(Leipzig:Harrassowitz, 1955 ), 31 – 50.
Mittelberger,“DeraußenpolitischeWegderneuenTürkei,”12.


238 4German-TurkishMilitaryCooperationafter1 918

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