the beginnings of ottoman-german partnership - Bilkent University

After 1880, therefore, he started an intensive effort to bring German military and
civilian officers to the Empire in order to direct the reforms, which he was
introducing to the Ottoman Army.
Bismarck was reluctant to diffuse German energies and power by
intervening actively in Ottoman affairs, but he was persuaded by German
ambassador Count Hatzfeld, who felt that an Ottoman partnership would be
advantageous for Germany and recommended that the Ottoman request for German
officers would enable Germany to counter possible Russian efforts to expand their
influence into the Ottoman Empire. 18 In response to this recommendation, on April
11, 1882, 19 the Kaiser, Wilhelm II approved the assignment of four German military
officers to the Ottoman Empire. 20 The officers were Colonel Kaehler (Head of
Commission), Captain Kamphönever, Captain von Höbe and Captain Ristow.
Abdulhamid subsequently requested additional officers to help the reorganization
military education and training. This request was also accepted, and on June 18,
1883, Major Baron Colmar von der Goltz was assigned to the task, beginning a
career in the Ottoman military, which would last, with some breaks, until his death in
Mesopotamia during the First World War. 21
In order to meet the inevitable reactions from Russia and Britain against the
resulting increase of German influence in Ottoman affairs, the newly-appointed
German officers were accepted as regular Ottoman officers, but their salaries, paid in
very high amounts, came from the treasury of the Public Debt Commission (Düyun-u
Umumiye), thus under the control of the European bankers who dominated that body.
In the meantime, Kaehler was promoted to the rank of Turkish lieutenant general as
18 Mahmud Muhtar, Maziye Bir Nazar: Berlin Antlaşması’ndan Harb-i Umumiye Kadar Avrupa ve
Türkiye-Almanya Münasebetleri, (İstanbul: Ötüken Yayınları, 1999) p. 55.
19 Wallach, p. 25.
20 Wallach, p.31.
21 Çetinkaya, p. 7
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