Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-21
'ERMAN GUNS and TRAINING
| FAIL in BALKAN Campaign


of his diplomatic rivals, has come to
nothiEg, tramp'ed under the hoofs Of
the swinish multitude fleeing from
KiTk-Ki!isseh and Lule BGTgas. who
ought to have been PrusS.an soldiers
in everything at heir faith and
tseir complexion. Today you would
have TO listen harI TO hear a good
word for the Turk in Germany.
All this is true, but it would be as
well FJr the enemies OF Germany to
pause here and not go on to draw
conclusions which may have the most
dangerous consequences for them
selves. II Germany was deceived
about he Turk, so was every great
Power in Europe, The expert mill
tary and diplomatic opinion of the
great Powers is always based on
careful study of the facts, and is
always belied by events.
Experts Often Wrong.
The experts did not believe that
Prussit would smash Austria in six
weeks, or tina. Germany would beat
France to her knees in as many
months. On the contrary, they
thought that France was the strong
er. They were astounded by the re-
sistance which the Turks offered to
Russia in the war of 1877-7S. From
that war dates the belief in the in
yincible military qualities of the Turk
in state OF nature. All western
Europe, guided by the best expert
opinion, would to this day be shiver-
ing with fear of Russia but for the
Japanese. ALI Europe believed that
the Italians could not help conquer
/ ing Tripoli in a few weeks. If Ger
many erred, she did so In good COM
pany.
Adrianople has not fallen at the
date of writing, and Kirk Kilisseh
would not have been so cheaply cap
tured II the supporting army, under
Abdullah Pasha, had not been seized
with inexplicable panic and bolted.
German officers. from Moltke to Gen.
tmhiff, have helped to train the iNirk-
ish army, but they were not enough
Of them to leaven more than a small
portion of the whole mass. The Turk
seems to be as brave as ever. IL he
has developed nerves, those who
starved him are to blame, and that
is a matter for which the German
officers are Ia no way responsible.
His trust i'm Allah has been Slapped
by making him fight side to side with
Christmas. And seemingly ii was the
Christians in the Turkish ranks who
fled or surrendered first. The Ger
man officers realized that the Turks
would be slow. in mobilizing. They
had no reason to suppose that they
would be unnecessarily slow with so
izer Turkish officer, who tells you
that Mahommed was an epileptic
camel-driver. does not believe in the
Koran, and does believe in politics, is
to blame for what has happened. But
who made a greater impression of
heroic courage and efficiency than
these same officers, when, four years
ago they rose against Abdul Hamid?
The Turkish Krupp guns were use
less, not because the guns were lad,
but because the men behind them
were unframed. 1t is only since the
revolution that any attempt has been
made to train the Turkish artillery.
Abdul Hamid would never allow 1t,
because he feared, with excellent
reason, that the gunners would one
day train their batteries on his PAL.
ace. He bought artillery, because he
knew that 70 one would believe i'll an
army which did not possess it. Also,
much of the Krupp artillery was hope,
leSsly antiquated; whereas the Bull.
garians had French field pieces of the
latest type. a..
The Decisive Difference .,'. ..
i But the decisive difference was the
j ignorance of the Turkish artillerymen,
"a fact which was noted by independ.
ent observers three years ago, when
Mahmud Shefket fought his way into
! Constantinople 1t was said at the
time that the Turkish gunners could
not hit anything smaller than pal
ace. OF course, the Krupps will be
blamed, and copious orders will go to
the Creusot gun factory. For in,
stance, the Crown Prince of Servia
!, on entering Uskub, thanked the
4 French consul for the excellence OF
the weapons with which his country
men had supplied the Servian army
and which had hopelessly outclassed
the Turkish guns. And generally
German trade will suffer in the Balk
ans. The Bulgarians, Serbs and
Greeks know pretty well what Berlin
thought of them. But they will be
able to make good use of the captured
Krupp guns.
4 In sum. the Turks will ge. 10 good
by blaming the Germans for ,aelr d.
feats. II the Germans are RESPONSE
bic for the Turkish downfall, they
should, for the same reason, be given
the credit for the Japanese victories
And il Germany put her money Oh the
wrong horse, as Lord Salisbury said
she may claim to have got it back in
the form of trade.