Genelal Status
The First World War started on 2 August 1914 with the German Empire attacks launched over the Netherlands and Belgium territories. These attacks soon reached Marne sites. Then came the Tannenberg victory of the German Empire and the casualties in the Mazurya marshes were huge.
Shortly before that, a reform board of 42 people headed by Liman Von Sanders arrived to Istanbul ın 1913. High-level commanders, including the Sultan, felt sympathy for the German Army. The board started to work. But, today some historians claim that, what they had in their minds was how to use the Ottoman Armies according to the interests of both sides, rather than to make reforms within a short time. Some of the Turkish Historians believe that the Ottomans were deceived and found themselves in this terrible war without realizing what was happening. So the Ottomans had fought on 9 different and separate fronts shoulder to shoulder with the German Empire.
Germans wanted the Ottomans to conduct a landing operation against Egypt but later on it was decided to attack first Odessa and then Batumi because of the inadequacy of the navy. However, at the Ottoman General Staff in İstanbul, German Admiral Souchon insisted that it was not possible for the forces to conduct such an amphibious operation due to the lack of necessary assets. Therefore, the idea of conducting a landing operation was laid aside and they set their hopes on wide sieges to be made from the land.
Two German battleships Goben and Breslav which were fled from British Navy and subsequently sold to Ottoman Empire changed only their names and with their original personnel wearing the Ottoman Navy uniforms bombarded Sevastapol and Odessa without consulting the Ottoman Government. This bombardment was known by only two vips; Admiral Souchon as the Commander in Chief of the Ottoman Fleet and CHOD Enver Pasha himself. Hence the Ottomans found themselves in the First World War.
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