Cooperation between the Ottoman Empire and Germany, especially in the sphere of military and communication, began with during the rule of Abdulhamit II. Although it is not exactly clear why the Ottomans preferred Germans instead of the British or French, the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) added another sphere of cooperation: partnership in the First World War against the British and French. The Ottomans invited the German military experts to modernize the military. The German officers

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... e successful in training the Ottoman army and in organizing and strengthening the defenses of the Dardanelles. Then, in accordance with the treaty signed on August 1914 German military mission began to wield "effective influence" over the military operations of the Ottoman armies. German generals and staff officers served as advisers and military commanders for the Ottoman army. Just a month before the Battle of Gallipoli, the Ottomans appointed Otto Liman von Sanders as the commander of the 5th Army. German generals were also put in command of some army corps and divisions. During the Gallipoli campaign, German officers, advisers and experts oversaw placing naval mines in the Dardanelles, organizing coastal defenses, logistics and health care for the army. Their services continued until the end of the First World War.