Inadditiontothepoorlypreparedcampaign,mostofthereservetroopshad
notreceivedsufficienttraining.Thesmallerportionofactiveunitscouldnot
compensatethedeficitscausedbytheseuntrainedtroops.¹³⁴Ottomanofficers
alsoadmittedthattheOttomanmilitaryadministrationhadnotbeenprepared
tofieldsuchanarmywhichbecameevidentinmanydetails.Forinstance,
mostofthetroopcommandershadproblemstocommunicatewiththeirmen,
who“[...]wereunabletounderstandinstructionsastheycamefromremote
partsofAnatoliaandspoketheirowndialects.”¹³⁵
ForGermanobservers,theOttomanmilitaryhadaleadershipproblem.Bavar-
ianCaptainFranzCarlEndres( 1878 – 19 54)servedintheOttomanarmyheadquar-
tersintheHadımköytrainstation(todayonthewesternoutskirtsofIstanbul).In
thestationbuildingandinstabledtraincoachesoperationsintheÇatalcaline
werecommandedandapotentialdefenseoftheGallipolipeninsulawaspre-
pared.¹³⁶ItwasanewsituationforEndresashehadjoinedOttomanserviceon
theeveofthewar.Hisacclimationperiodfellatthetimeofgeneralmobilization
intheOttomancapital.ThedistinguishedtheoreticianfromtheBavarianwaracad-
emywassuddenlyconfrontedwiththerealitiesofwarfare.¹³⁷Endrescomplained
abouttheinefficientcourseofOttomanGeneralStaffworkandthereluctanceof
Ottomanofficerstotakeresponsibility.Inthisregard,hiscriticismresembledCol-
marvonderGoltz’diplomaticremarkstwoyearsbeforethewar:
“AllactioninthisArmyHighCommandisalsonotremotelycomparabletotheoneina
German[HighCommand].TheofficersoftheGeneralStaffmerelydokindofahigher
levelofpaperwork.[...]Theworkinghoursofthestaffrangedfrom10a.m.to2a.m.with-
outabreak.Theyalsoateintheoffice!!Itwasabsolutelyirrelevantwhetherthemilitary
situationwasseriousortotallycalm.Thefiveofusweresittinginasmall,quietroom.
Inaddition,everybodynegotiatedloudlywiththesubordinatescalledinandnumerousvis-
itorscameeveryday,whichhadtobeentertainedwithteaandcigarettes.Onthisoccasion
they[theOttomanofficers,G.G.]hadpoliticaldiscussions.Forsomeonenotusedtothis
wayofleadingmilitaryoperations,workingunderthesecircumstanceswasquitehard.
G.vonHochwächter,MitdenTürkeninderFrontimStabeMahmudMuhtarPaschas:Mein
KriegstagebuchüberKirkKilisse,LüleBurgasundCataldza,5thed.(Berlin:ErnstSiegfriedMittler
undSohn,1913), 18 – 34.
Al-Askari,ASoldier’sStory,39.
FranzCarlEndres,“BerichtdeskaiserlichOttomanischenMajorsFranzEndresüberseine
TeilnahmeamBalkankrieg 1913 ,”BayHStAIVGS 25 7, 1 – 6.
SimonSchaerer,“FranzCarlEndres(18 78 – 1954):Kaiserlich-osmanischerMajor,Pazifist,
Journalist,Schriftsteller,”inPazifistischeOffiziereinDeutschland,ed.WolframWette(Bremen:
Donat,1999), 23 2.
58 2ThePeakofKnowledgeTransfer