Evening star., 1913-12-28
GERMANY'S MISSION TO TURKEY

Russia appears to have been more
stirred than Paris or London over the
rumors Of a German
RuSSlAS military mission which
it was said had been
6A"sA0A' requested by Turkey TO
organize and. more, command a model
army corps with headquarters at Con-
stantinople.
The dispatches are contradictory. and
from this distance may not be con-
troll ed. Some of these are sensational.
and maintain that the German foreign
office. replying to the protestations of
Russia. France and England. declared
that ANY protest was doomed to fail
ure at the outset. and that Germany
based her action in Turkey upon that
OF France In Greece" etc.
1t was said Furthermore in these dis
patches that France had persuaded the
Greek government to permit French
military mission to organize a model
army corps at Athens on Identical
lines proposed by Germany at Con-
with fifteen officers had been charged
practically with the entire control of
the Turkish navy.
Russia. the dispatches asserted. was
Russia could only have protested for
the purpose Of blackmailing the sub
lime porte into certain long desired
poltlcal concessions at the Golden
Horn or in the Black Sea"
The statements made in the forego-
ing dispatches. dated Berlin. are mani
testify absurd.
In the first place it does not appear
that the German foreign Office has
made any statement whatever. Nor is
there analogy between the French
mission that was sent to Athens and
the German mission it was proposed
to send to Constantinople. The French
mission was confined to instruction:
the German mission, on the contrary
was sent to command. There is the rub
which the correspondent has failed to
grasp.
Besides. Greece has never menaced
the peace of Europe, while Turkey has
been threatening
Eur0peS Peace what she would do
Maroood to regain the prov
inces wrested from
her by the victorious Balkan states.
Germans In active command of a mod
Ell army corps at Constantinople con-
s1ituted menace to the peace of
Europe in the shape of a German COL
onization of Turkey. Never. perhaps,
in the annals of military missions had
sucn tnlng ever been attempted Nor
Is IL necessary to defend Russia from
the absurd calumny OF an attempt to
6iackmail the sublime porte. Mani
Iestiy the correspondent has very
confused idea of the recent Balkan
war; in which Russia played a very
prominent part in maintaining the
peace of Europe. 1t was Russia, in
deed. who objected to Bulgaria's
threatened march upon Constantinople,
when the Turkish army was beaten
to frazzle and was fieeing-streaming
like an uncomfortable mob across the
Bosphorus into Asia. Russia could NOT
biackmail Turkey if she would. Rus
sia. for a fact, is Turkeys amiable
creditor. for Turkey has never paid
even the interest OF the war indemnity
imposed at Plevna
When Russia heard of the proposed
German mission NJ. Kokovtzoff. presi-
ing through Berlin and had an inter
view with Herr Won Bethmann- Holl-
veg, to whom he intimated in a friend
ly way that it would be well to give
the proposed mission more pacific
status.
1t was thought that certain friendly
representations made at that time by the
Russian government would have had
the effect of holding up the proposed
German mission to Constantinople but
William received the mission on the Sth
instant at Berlin before its departure 1t
is composed of Gen. Liman Won Sanders
Coils. Bronsart de Schellendorf and Web
GERS.
The Hamburger Nachrichten gives the
following details of the mission: Gen.
Liman Won Sanders is an
German officer of the cavalry and
M;s.;or one of the most d stin-
guished of the Germa n
army; he commanded recently a division
of infantry at Cassel. He will have un-
der his orders all the German officers in
the Turkish service; these will no longer
communicate with the Ottoman minister
of war except through the Intermediary
of Gen. Liman. who will take rank i'm
Turkey as corps commander of the 1st
Corps, which will take the title of the
model corps
AT the head OF the staff corps there
served three years at the staff school
at ConStantfnople He knows the
Turkish soldier and has had occasion
to distinguish himself in the late war;
Gen. Limans first aid-de-camp also will
be a German officer who has been four
years in the Turkish army. The model
corps will be composed of three di-
visions Of infautry and a brigade of
cavalry. All division and brigade COM
manders will be German colonels and
lieutenant colonels. who will rank as
brigadiers or colonels In each division
composed Of three regiments Of infan-
try a model regiment will be un-
der the orders of German cap
tain with the rank of major; also a
model regiment of field artillery. com
manded by German captain of ar
tillery.
Nor is that all For each arm in par-
ticular there viii be created inspec-
tions by German officers Ii will he
thus, also. for schools in target prac-
tice and other establishments for mill
tary instruction. Finally all that per
tains to fortifications will be arranged
by a general of brigade who has al
ready served five Years in Turkey.
German officers thus are no longer
instructors, but have become effective
commanders. Such condition has
never yet been contemplated by the
service Of military missions. 1t cannot
fail to be treated seriously by Russia
The Novoie Vrenlia attacked the idea
of the German military mission from
It's first announcement.
The supreme power in Turkey"
writes that journal. belongs in an
pearance to the sultan. In reality it is
the army that is mistress of the des-
TIMES OF the country. and particularly
the commanders OF the troops at Con-
stantinople. The veritable padischah
VIII now be German lieutenant gen
eral.'