veritablefightbetweenthetwofractions.⁴⁴GoltzsecondvisitinJuly/August 1909
wasnoeasytaskagainstthebackdropofsuchturmoil.Despitedenialsbythe
GermanmediaintheOttomancapital,⁴⁵themissionoftheGermanbaronwas
highlysensitiveandtheGoltzdecidedtowearcivilianclothing.Buthedidnot
keepsilentabouthisactions.
GoltzpromotestheOttomanCase
GoltzcontinuedtowriteonthemodernizationprocessoftheOttomanforces,
alsobypublishingslightlymodifieddraftsofhisearlierarticles.⁴⁶Inhisanaly-
sis,theGermanBaronwasmorefar-sightedthanmostofhiscontemporaries,
predictingtheorientationoftheOttomanstatetowardsWesternEuropeinthe
future.⁴⁷TheOttomanauthoritiesreactedpositivelytovonderGoltz’articles
andmostofhiscontributionswereimmediatelytranslatedtoOttomanTurkish.⁴⁸
GoltzneverbecametiredofinsistingthattheOttomanmilitaryreformsandthe
purchaseofnewarmamentweretoservetheregionalstabilityratherthanthe
comingofanewwar.MostoftheOttomansoldierswerenotproperlytrained
formodernwarfare,especiallyintheuseoftheMauserrifles:
“Whatwouldonesayofanarmydepartmentthatwouldhandoutarifletotheirsoldiersin
thecaseofmobilization,whichtheyhadneverheldintheirhandsbeforeandfromwhich
theywouldfirethefirstshotonthebattlefield.”⁴⁹Goltzdidnotexaggeratewiththisstatement.Asamatteroffact,mostofthe
ruralOttomanreserveformationshadnocluehowtoloadtheirboltactionrifles,
sincetheywereusedtooldermuzzleloadersfromtheirbasictrainingmanyyears
ago.AsrememberedbyoneOttomanofficer,thedecadelongstoringawayof
modernequipmentbythefearfulSultanAbdülhamidIIcombinedwiththe
Zürcher,Turkey,1 00 – 103.
Anonymous,“DerʻpolitischeCharakterʼderMissionGoltz,”OsmanischerLloyd 28 July 1909 ;
seealsoKrethlow,GeneralfeldmarschallGoltz,3 42.
ColmarvonderGoltz,“DieverjüngteTürkeiundihreArmee,”VierteljahresheftefürTruppen-
führungundHeereskunde 6 – 1(1909), 1 – 27.
Krethlow,GeneralfeldmarschallGoltz,3 29.
OttomanEmbassyinViennatotheOttomanForeignMinistry,8April 1909 regardingthear-
ticlebyGoltzintheNeueFreiePresseon3April 1909 .BOAHR.SYS.D 20 0Gö37Fon1.
ColmarvonderGoltz,“DieWahrheitüberdietürkischenKriegsrüstungen,”DerTag,20Feb-
ruary 1910.
38 2ThePeakofKnowledgeTransfer