lightedtheneedtokeepsilentandregularlylistentoenemydiggingactivities,a
reasonablesuggestionifwerecallAdolfHoraczek’scomplaints.²⁵⁰Inhisconclu-
sion,MüllerwasmuchmorereluctantthanHoraczektoinsistonaGermandom-
inantroleduringthoseoperations.Mülleracknowledgedthehighnumberof
casualtiesontheOttomonsideduringundergroundwarfare.²⁵¹
However,thetransferofminewarfaretechniqueswastohavenolongerlast-
ingimpactonOttomantactics,sinceitfailedtodelivertheanticipatedresultsfor
thebelligerentparties:“Militaryminingwasexpandedbymassmobilizationand
technologytoascaleandintensitywhichwaswithoutprecedentbut,atthemo-
mentofitszenith,ithadbecomeobsolete.”²⁵²
ThisstalematecontinuedfornearlytwomoreyearsontheWesternfront.It
is,therefore,truethattoacertainextent,theOttomanarmyhadremediedthe
mistakesofthepastandusedthetimeafterthedefeatin 1913 well.Thevictory
in 1916 strengthenedtheOttomanself-confidence.TheinnercohesionoftheOt-
tomanarmywasquitedifferentfromtheoneduringtheBalkanWars.²⁵³
TheGermanshareinthepreparationandduringthebattleshouldnotbe
underestimated.²⁵⁴TheOttomanarmyprovidedthemanpowerforthedefense
oftheirterritory,andtheirGermanallycontributedwithmodernwarfaremeth-
odsinordertosustainvictory.Warwasnotyetoverandtheheaviestbattlesonly
layahead.
OttomantroopsinStormofSteel:Theimpactof
contemporarywarfare,1 916 – 18
ThedangerofaninvasionofOttomanterritoryhaddiminishedintheaftermath
oftheGallipolicampaign.FollowingadisplayofOttomanstrength,theGerman
GeneralStaffwithdrewitsobjectionsagainsttheuseofOttomanforcesinother
Cf.thegeneralcomment:“InhisappearancetheTurkisachildwhoalwayshastochatter.”
Horaczek,VonderWestfrontandieOsmanischeFront,68;Müller,ÇanakkaleHarbinde,12;cf.the
respectiveparagraph‘HorchdienstʼinKriegsministerium,Minenkrieg,2 5 – 29.
Müller,ÇanakkaleHarbinde,16.
Jones,UndergroundWarfare,2 54.
UyarandErickson,AMilitaryHistoryoftheOttomans,2 61.
EdwardJ.Erickson,“LessonsLearnedfromtheBalkanWars,”inWarandNationalism,ed.
HakanM.Yavuz,XV-XXI,XVII-XVIII.TheOttomanarmylostaround 68000 men, 530 ofthem
wereGermansfightinginOttomanuniform.ThelossesoftheEntenteandCommonwealthtroops
arecalculatedas 47000 .Allnumbersrefertokilledandmissingsoldiers.EdwardJ.Erickson,
“StrengthagainstWeakness:OttomanMilitaryEffectivenessatGallipoli, 1915 ,”TheJournalof
MilitaryHistory 65 – 4( 20 01), 1009.
82 2ThePeakofKnowledgeTransfer