OntheeveoftheBalkanWars,theGerman-Ottomanmilitarycooperation
wastightened butquestionedbypartsoftheOttomanmilitaryleadership.
ThisiswhyfurtherdefeatcoulddamageGermanprestigewhichisevidentin
thestatementoftheGermanambassadorinlateAugust1912:
“Aslongasthearmyplaystheleadingrole,Germanyisinanadvantageouspositionincon-
trasttothecountriescompetingwithit.AccordingtotheTurkishnotion,thereexistsacom-
radeshipinarmsbetweentheTurkishandtheGermanarmy.Still,themajorityoftheTurk-
ishofficersplacetheirtrustintheabsolutesuperiorityofourmilitaryskills.”¹²⁷TheBalkanWars,1912/13:TestingGroundforthe‘German
Spirit’
TheBalkanWarswerethelastlargerconflictinEuropebeforeWorldWarOne
andinthisregardtheyservedasatestinggroundfortheconfirmationoftheEu-
ropeannation’smilitarydoctrines.¹²⁸Officially,themajorEuropeanpowersre-
mainedneutral.Infact,however,someofthemsupportedafactioninthe
war.GermanyassistedtheOttomanarmyandsodidtheFrenchmilitarymission
intheGreekarmedforces.Bulgaria,thestrongestadversaryoftheOttoman
forces,wasbackedbytheRussiangovernment.¹²⁹
Intermsofarmamentandtraining,tosomeextenttheBalkanLeaguemem-
ber’sarmiesandtheOttomantroopswererepresentativeforthecontemporary
Europeanmilitarystateofwarfare.Thisalsoraisedtheinterestofallnationsin-
volvedandresultedinthesendingofnumerousEuropeanmilitaryobservers.
TheOttomansweretakenbysurpriseinthisconflict.Theirarmywasinthe
midstofareformandnotfullyfitforservice.Thereservetroops(redif)wereun-
trainedandpoorlyequipped.Thecampaignsexposedtheneglectformilitaryaf-
WangenheimtoAA, 28 August1912;AA-PAR 13255 ,n.p.
RichardC.Hall,TheBalkanWars 1912 – 191 3:PreludetotheFirstWorldWar(London,New
York:Routledge,2000).FortheGermanevaluationsseeMarkusPöhlmann,“BetweenManchu-
riaandtheMarne:TheGermanArmyanditsPerceptionoftheMilitaryConflictsof 1911 – 191 4,”
inTheWarsbeforetheGreatWar:ConflictandInternationalPoliticsbeforetheOutbreakofthe
FirstWorldWar,ed.DominikGeppertetal.(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2015),
204 – 22 9.
OlivierLahai,“LaMissionMilitaireFrançaiseenGrècesousleCommandementduGeneral
PaulEydoux(1911– 191 4),”inLesRelationsMilitairesFranco-Grecques:DelaRestaurationàla
SecondeGuerreMondiale,ed.RémyPorteandAbdilBicer(Vincennes:ServiceHistoriquede
laDéfense, 2007 ), 67 – 81 ;RonaldBobroff,“BehindtheBalkanWars:RussianPolicytowardBul-
gariaandtheTurkishStraits, 1912 – 13 ,”TheRussianReview 59 – 1( 20 00), 76 – 95.
56 2ThePeakofKnowledgeTransfer