Free Gallipoli by Peter Fitzsimons Page B

days ago now. Indeed, the Ottoman Military Attaché in Berlin had informed him as early as 3 August that he had been told ‘very confidentially’ that Kaiser Wilhelm II might agree to send Goeben to Constantinople and, subsequently, to send it alongside the Ottoman Navy into the Black Sea. 56

    Escape of Goeben and Breslau , by Jane Macaulay
    This news had been welcome then, but now that the stakes have risen, with war on the Western Front a reality, his request is problematic. The entry of these ships, in this manner, with the British in pursuit, will surely bring an end to Turkey’s purported neutrality and spell war for the Ottomans. And their army is far from prepared.
    â€˜I can’t decide that now,’ he says in rapid staccato. ‘I must first consult the Grand Vizier.’
    â€˜But,’ von Kressenstein insists, ‘we need to wire immediately.’ 57
    Enver takes a moment to think silently. The British Fleet will not be long in finding the ships where they lie, and if Turkey is to accept them, then it must be done now or never. There is a certain logic to it …
    (As eyewitness to the moment, German military officer Colonel Hans Kannengiesser would later comment, ‘It was a very difficult problem for Enver – usually so quick at arriving at a decision. He battled silently with himself though outwardly showed no signs of a struggle.’) 58
    He pauses. He deliberates. Is this the moment?
    He draws himself up and says the words, ‘They are to allow them to enter.’
    Though relieved, the imperious von Kressenstein cannot resist following up. ‘If the English warships follow the Germans,’ he asks, ‘are they to be fired on if they also attempt an entrance?’
    A second Rubicon beckons … and, again, Enver is reluctant to cross it. ‘The matter,’ he says gravely, ‘must be left to the decision of the Council of Ministers. The question can remain open for the time being.’
    â€˜Excellency,’ von Kressenstein persists, ‘we cannot leave our subordinates in such a position without issuing immediately clearly defined instructions. Are the English to be fired on or not?’ 59
    â€˜â€¦
    â€˜â€¦
    â€˜Yes …’ 60
    The German cruisers may enter.
    The British ship will be stopped.
    The Minister for War, General Enver, breaks the news to his Cabinet colleagues of what he has done, referring to Goeben with the smiling words, ‘A son has been born to us.’ 61
    With her forces not yet mobilised, ‘neutral’ Turkey attempts to disguise this act of war – offering safe harbour for more than 24 hours to a ship of a combatant country – by proposing a sham purchase of the Goeben and Breslau . Germany agrees, the only condition being that, along with the warships, Admiral Souchon and his crew be drafted into the Ottoman Navy. So both warships will be claimed as Turkish; however, they will still remain firmly under German control. And while the Turks can announce their purchase of the ships, no actual sale can be made until the war is over and the Reichstag has approved it.
    Genius!
    The next morning, the Navy Minister, Cemal, releases an official communiqué, just two sentences long, announcing the news in the newspaper Ikdam : ‘ Osmanlılar! … Müjde! – Ottomans! … Good news!
    â€˜The Ottoman government purchased two German vessels, the Goeben and the Breslau , for 80 million marks. Our new vessels entered the straits at Chanak last evening. They will be in our port today.’ 62
    There is wild acclaim across Constantinople and other big cities. Though they were expecting news of their dreadnoughts from England, the edgy Ottomans are happy to be receiving these two brilliant new ships. And they are due to Constantinople that very day! We must get down to the shoreline to welcome them in.
    The Turks have shown the English what they think of their treachery, taught