Osmanlı Askerî Basınında Havacılığın İzleri: Donanma Mecmuası ve Zafer Gazetesi Üzerinden Bir İnceleme
Author :
Abstract
reform aracı olarak nasıl konumlandırdığını göstermeyi amaçlamaktadır. Avrupa’daki havacılık faaliyetleri titizlikle takip edilirken, Osmanlı Devleti'nin bu alandaki geri kalmışlığı hem bir eksiklik hem de telafi edilmesi gereken stratejik bir boşluk olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Basında yer alan metinler, tayyareciliği yalnızca keşif ve istihbarat değil, geleceğin harp meydanlarında belirleyici olacak yıkıcı bir güç olarak da tahayyül etmektedir. Bu çerçevede çalışma, Osmanlı askerî basınında teknolojik yeniliklerin ideolojik, stratejik ve sembolik boyutlarını irdeleyen bütüncül bir
analiz sunmaktadır.
Keywords
Abstract
This article examines how the concept of aviation and the strategic imagination of air power were represented in the Ottoman military press during the early twentieth century. Focusing on Donanma Journal and Zafer Gazetesi, two prominent periodicals of the era, the study analyzes a wide range of writings concerning balloons, airplanes, and zeppelins, which collectively reveal the intellectual, technical, and strategic perceptions of Ottoman military elites regarding aerial technologies. Contributions by figures such as Ali Rıza Seyfi, M. B. İdris, M. Burhaneddin, Ahmet Vahit, Tayyareci Yusuf Kenan, and Süreyya Bey not only convey technical data but also construct aviation as a symbol of military modernization, national progress, and a forward-looking strategic vision. Through these texts, the article explores how aviation was conceptualized not merely as a technological novelty, but as a transformative component of modern warfare. European advancements were closely followed and often presented as benchmarks, while the Ottoman Empire’s limited capacity in this field was acknowledged as a critical shortcoming requiring urgent remedy. Aviation was discussed not only in terms of reconnaissance and surveillance but also as a prospective instrument of offensive military power. This study offers a comprehensive historical analysis of the ideological, strategic, and symbolic dimensions of aviation discourse in the Ottoman military press during a period of profound global military-technological change.
