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Based on a true story
I enjoyed Graham Goodlad’s article on the Ottoman Empire in World War I, which reminded me of an intriguing story about the wartime German Turkish alliance. Like many of my generation, as a boy I read John Buchan’s novel Greenmantle – a ‘ripping yarn’ in which the heroic central characters foil a plan to incite an anti-British uprising in the Muslim world. The book, published in 1916, refers to some real events, such as the fall of Erzurum in the Caucasus, which is mentioned in your article.
Some years later I learned that the author had, almost certainly unknowingly, based his story on a preposterous-sounding but completely true plot. The real-life villain of the piece was German intelligence chief Max von Oppenheim, who tried to enrol volunteers for an anti-British jihad in the Near East. He even attempted, with little success, to involve captive allied Muslim soldiers, who were softened up with preferential treatment in the POW camp. The scheme was a non-starter – partly because by 1916 the British had their own charismatic Arab revolt leader, T E Lawrence, who could have stepped out of the pages of a Buchan novel. As for Hilda von Einem, the glamorous German agent who plays a central role in Greenmantle, I am not sure if she was based on a real-life person. It’s good to have some mystery after all.
Anthony Bell, Exeter, Devon
Admiral Collingwood at Menorca
Edmund West’s most enjoyable, informative, and detailed article on Menorca, ‘Jewel of the Med’ (MHM August/September 2025) reminded me of a brief visit to the island some years ago as a speaker on a cruise ship. My fellow guest speaker was the late Michael Nicholson from ITN, who with Max Hastings were the only correspondents on the ground in the Falklands War in 1982.
Having visited the island previously as a holidaymaker, I persuaded Michael to come with me on a short walk from the ship to the ‘Admiral’s Hotel’ on the south side of Mahon harbour, on a high bluff overlooking the harbour. Readers who have visited the island on holiday may recall a beautiful Georgian mansion, painted dark red. I knew it to have been the home and HQ of Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood (pictured), who had succeeded Nelson as C-in-C Mediterranean following Nelson’s death at Trafalgar.
I assured Michael that he would see the most wonderful museum, stuffed with paintings and memorabilia of the famous Admiral. He was not disappointed!
Roger Laing, Iver, Buckinghamshire
Secrets to success
Graham Goodlad’s excellent piece about the Ottoman Army is a reminder of how important economic and political factors are to military success – a backward, pre-industrial economy and corrupt leadership made the Ottoman Army’s task overall an impossible one. But it is interesting that its greatest victories came against the British in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia. What does that tell us about the inept leadership of the British Army in those campaigns? Only General Allenby provided the leadership that led to the ultimate defeat of the Turks in Palestine and Syria.
Trevor Daniels, Angus, Scotland
Correction
In the headline of one of our ‘Notes from the Frontline’ in our October/ November 2025 issue, we incorrectly stated that the site of Washington’s ‘friendly fire’ incident was located in Virginia. The recently identified location is, in fact, in western Pennsylvania, as noted in the main body of the article. Our apologies.
Images: Henry Howard, public domain; Samuel Fisher, National Army Museum
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