I have been wondering for some time how was the relationship between Turkey and Nazi Germany. during the initial days of WWI both allies and the central powers woed Turkey into the war and Germany effectively bribed their way into wining the Turks. Did Nazi Germany try to woe Turkey especially that it was the most powerful nation in the Balkans and the middle east and the only country that managed to reverse most of the injustices they got from WWI. I want to know especially the relationship between Hitler and Attaturk and if Attaturk lived would he have joined Germany?

 

Al-Jassas

 

Ataturk had disdain towards Mussolini, Hitler and Bolshevism. When visited by General MacArthur in 1932 a few years prior to Ataturk's death in 1938 they discussed the possible spectrum of war. He ordered Inonu to bolster the countries defenses. Rationing was the order of the day for the whole country during much of WWII.

 

 

The following excerpts by Ataturk are from The Golden Link, M. Study Slater (1962):

 

 "To my understanding, just as it happened yesterday, the future of Europe will be dependent upon Germany. That nation is dynamic and disciplined. If Germany unites, it will seek to shake off the yoke of the Versailles Treaty. Germany, Russia, and England will have a strong army to conquer Europe. The next war will come from 1940 to 1945. France has lost the spirit of creating a powerful army, and therefore, England will not depend upon France to protect herself. France will no longer be a buffer state. "Italy will improve, somewhat, under Mussolini. He will first try to avoid war, if he can. But I fear that he will try to play the role of Caesar and it will prove to the World that Italy cannot produce a powerful army yet."

"America will not be able to avoid war and Germany will be defeated only through her interference. If authorities in Europe do not get together on the basis of controversies of political contacts and try to placate their own hatreds and interests, it will be tragic."

"The Troubles of England, France, and Germany will not come first or be of primary importance. Something new from the East of Europe has come up that will take primary place of importance. This new threat will spend whatever is available in its resources for international revolution. This power will utilize new political methods to achieve these goals. These methods are not known by Americans and Europeans and this power will try to make use of our small mistakes and the mistakes of Western nations."

"The victorious power after the war between 1940 and 1945 will not be England, France, or Germany, but Bolshevism. Being closest to Russia and having had many wars with her in the past, Turkey is watching Russia closely and sees the whole danger developing. Russia knows how to influence and awaken the minds of Eastern countries, and how to give them ideas of nationalism. Russia has encouraged hatred towards the West. Bolshevism is getting to be a power and a great threat to Europe and Asia."

 

Regarding the historical experience which Ataturk probably meant, just consider the Russian support of the national movements of Balkan nations and Armenians in Ottoman empire.

Feanor though it mentions nationalism, I think the translator meant appealing to nationalism to form discord as Sarmat12 mentions.

 

Here's a that part in Turkish. http://www.harunyahya.org/kitap/asker_ataturk/askerata4.html#52 - http://www.harunyahya.org/kitap/asker_ataturk/askerata4.html#52

 

Avrupa'da �ıkacak savaşı kazanan ne İngiltere, ne Fransa, ne de Almanya olacaktır. Savaşı Bolşevik Rusya kazanacaktır. Rusya'nın yakın komşusu ve onlarla en �ok savaşmış bir ulus olarak biz T�rkler, oradaki olayları yakından izliyoruz. Tehlikeyi b�t�n �ıplaklığıyla g�r�yoruz. Uyanan doğu halklarının duygularını pek g�zel kullanan, onları okşayan ve kinlerini dile getirmesini bilen Bolşevikler, yalnız Avrupa'ya değil, Asya'ya da g�zdağı veren bir g�� haline gelmektedir.

 

my interpretation:

 

The winners of a war that will take place in Europe will neither be England, France or Germany. The victors will be Bolshevik Russia. Russia's close neighbor and people who have fought them the most are the Turks, we are watching their events from a close proximity. We see that danger with the naked eye. They know how to forment turmoil by appealing to the emotions of peoples of the east, by messaging feelings of animosity, the Bolsheviks will be a threat not only to Europe but Asia too will have to face their might.

 

New Nostradamus?

 

Turkey was not equipped enough for WWI, they needed massive German help, so to go into a much more mechanized war WWII would have been disastrous.

 

Not to mention Russia, who have since mechanized from WWI experience, would've crushed Turkey and taken the capital within days.

 

Smart move to stay out of war I'd say!

 

Still by that time Russia would've taken Istanbul considering their army and navy were much more advanced and considering the Russian tanks and airplanes wer eup to date.

 

I made a mistake in not involving Germany and how they could help the Ottomans like in WWI so that was my mistake.

 

The Russians fight on multiple fronts. They could lean an army into Turkey while Stalingrad is under attack it is very possible. They could've easily entered Turkish soil through a combined aerial and sea assault and would've crippled Turkey if it did not receive direct relieft from Germany.

 

Turkey was not a power and had it entered the war it wouldn't end very well.

 

Turkey had 1 million soldiers by 1942.

 

True that it was navally and aerially weak and an entrance into war would be a disaster, no matter which side Turkey would join..However,

 

Any country with such a number of soldiers, constitutes a power, even if it is not a "great power" status

 

Are you serious?

 

Turkey was stripped out of all of its colonies and had the western portions of its nation partitioned off to Greece. Had it not been for the brilliance of Kemal Ataturk Turkey would be a completely different place.

 

 

No it would not. China had the manpower but great amount of this manpower did not even have a stable rifle to fight the Japanese, or any military training. And also, China is one huge piece of soil, and was in excessive internal problems at the time, seeking for total unity

 

Meanwhile, Turkey had none of these problems, and positioned in a key location which might have been effective, and problematic to confront