usedtomoveontime[bypeacetimetraining;G.G.]willbynomeansleaveand
workontimeinwar.”¹⁰²Thephrase‘timeismoney’wasalsovalidinthearmy.
Theexecutionofordershadtoexactlyfollowthetimeschedulegivenas,inin-
fantryattacks,everyminutecountsandanydelaycostslives.
ButforMustafa,thisGermanwayofcarryingoutdutiesseemedincompre-
hensible.Thisbecomesevidentinthefollowingsentence,inwhichhedescribes
oneoftheregularofficer’sgatheringsintheregimentalcasino:“[T]heGermans
attachextraordinaryandintenseimportancetothehoursandminutes.[...]First
ofall,theGermansknowtheirduties.Afterthattheywanttohaveagoodtime.
Aftereighttotenhoursofbeingbusy,theydance,drinkingwineuntil2,3o’clock
untiltheylosecontrol.”Theverynextmorning,theseGermansarebackonduty
at 07 :10am.WhatisevenmoreastonishingisthatinGermany,suchbehavior
wasnotonlyrelatedtothemilitaryalone:“Bynomeansdotheyneglecta
duty.Thisisnotonlythecaseinthearmy,thewholeGermannation[millet]
movestotheminute[...].”¹⁰³
Forthisverypurpose,everyGermansquarehadoneorseveralpublicclocks.
ThiswasnotthecaseintheOttomanEmpire.InMustafa’scountryoforigin,sev-
eralformsoftimemeasurementexistedsimultaneously.Thelocalalaturkatime
conflictedwiththeEuropeanstandardtime.IttooktheOttomanmilitarymany
yearstohavetheirrecruits“coordinated[sic]likeamechanicalclock.”¹⁰⁴The
EuropeanmeantimewasintroducedslowlybytheOttomanauthorities.The
publicclocktowerserectedduringthereignofSultanAbdülhamidIIinbigger
citieswereinsufficienttohaveadeepimpactonthewholeOttomansociety.
ButtheneedforafulladoptionoftheEuropeanstandardtimehadbecomea
militarynecessitythatfinallyledtoitsadoptioninMay1 912 ,followedbythe
abolishmentofolderformsofthecalendarinlate 1916 .¹⁰⁵
ThisparagraphofMustafa’sreportregardingtheimpressionsofGerman
punctualityandworkethicswasbyfarthemostpersonalone.Mustafa’sview
wasconfirmedinthewordsoftheGermannavyLieutenantKarlDönitz,who
servedontheS.M.S.Goeben/Yavuzin 191 4:
Mustafa,“AlmanOrdu’daMüşahedatım,” 386.
Mustafa,“AlmanOrdu’daMüşahedatım,” 38 7.
QuotedafterAvnerWishnitzer,ReadingClocks,alaTurka:TimeandSocietyinthelateOtto-
manEmpire(Chicago:ChicagoUniversityPress, 20 15),91.
ForGermaninfluenceontheOttomandebateseeWishnitzer,ReadingClocks,alaTurka,
87 – 92.
50 2ThePeakofKnowledgeTransfer