Savaş ve Diploma Arasında: II. Dünya Savaşı’nda Belçika’nın Almanlar Tarafından İstilası ve Türk Öğrenciler
Murat Aydoğdu1 Eylül 1939 tarihinde Almanya’nın Polonya’ya saldırmasının hemen ardından Türk Hükümeti Almanya ve Fransa’daki Türk talebeleri tamamen, diğer Avrupa ülkelerinde bulunanları ise kısmen geri çekti. Ne var ki savaşın durağan seyrine aldanan hükümet bu talebelerin pek çoğunu kısa süre sonra tahsil gördükleri ülkelere geri gönderdi. 10 Mayıs 1940 tarihinde Almanlar Belçika’ya taarruz ettiklerinde Türk vatandaşı 81 talebe bu ülkede bulunmaktaydı. Taarruzu takip eden günlerde bu talebelerden yaklaşık yarısı zor şartlar altında Fransa’ya geçerken, diğer yarısı bunu başaramadı. Türk Hükümeti Fransa’ya geçen talebeleri eğitimlerine orada devam etmeleri ya da memlekete dönmeleri konusunda serbest bıraktı. 1940 yılı haziran ayından itibaren Fransa’daki pek çok Türk talebe Türkiye’ye gelmeye başladı. Türk Hükümeti ancak temmuz ayı sonlarında Fransa ve Belçika’daki bütün Türk talebelerin tamamen Türkiye’ye getirilmesine karar verdi. Geri dönmeyi reddeden 12 tanesi hariç, temmuz ayından itibaren Belçika’daki Türk talebeler de Almanya üzerinden yurda dönmeye başladı. Bu makale, arşiv belgeleri ve dönem basınından yararlanarak, Belçika’daki Türk öğrencilerin Alman taarruzu sırasında yaşadıkları olayları, Fransa’ya geçenlerin ve Belçika’da kalanların yurda getirilmeleri için gösterilen çabaları ve karşılaşılan zorlukları ele almaktadır. Ayrıca, öğrencilerin Belçika’da kendi hallerine terk edildikleri yönündeki, özellikle Brüksel Büyükelçisi Nebil Batı’ya odaklanan tartışmalar, kronolojik bir düzen ve analitik bir yaklaşımla incelenmiştir. Makale, bu meselenin ortaya çıkmasında ve çözüm sürecinde Türk Hükümeti’nin payını, izlediği yöntemleri ve rolünü eleştirel bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Makalenin vardığı en belirgin sonuç, Türk Hükümeti’nin savaş karşısında Avrupa’daki Türk öğrencilere yönelik tutumunun çelişkili ve rasyonellikten uzak olduğudur. Bu durumun temel nedeni, İngiltere ve Fransa’nın Alman ilerlemesini durduracağına dair aşırı iyimser bir beklentidir.
Between War and Diploma: The German Invasion of Belgium in World War II and Turkish Students
Murat AydoğduFollowing Germany’s attack on Poland on September 1, 1939, the Turkish government initiated the withdrawal of Turkish students from Germany and France entirely and partially from other European countries. However, misled by the initial stagnation of the war, the government soon allowed many of these students to return to their respective countries of study. By May 10, 1940, when Germany launched its offensive on Belgium, 81 Turkish students were present in the country. In the aftermath of the attack, approximately half of these students managed to cross into France under challenging conditions, while the remainder were unable to do so. The Turkish government left the students who had reached France to decide independently whether to return home. It was only in late July 1940 that a decision was made to repatriate all Turkish students from France and Belgium. This article explores the experiences of Turkish students in Belgium during the German offensive, the efforts and obstacles encountered in repatriating those who crossed to France and those who remained in Belgium, and the debates over the perceived abandonment of these students by the Turkish government. It also critically assesses the government’s role in both the emergence of this situation and the strategies employed to resolve it. The article concludes that the Turkish government’s inconsistent and often irrational approach to Turkish students in Europe was primarily influenced by misplaced optimism in Britain and France’s ability to halt Germany’s advance.
Following Britain and France’s declaration of war on Germany in early September 1939, the Turkish government implemented the complete withdrawal of Turkish students from Germany and France and a partial withdrawal from other European countries. However, misled by the initially stagnant progress of the war, the government soon permitted many of these students to return to their respective countries of study. Neither Germany’s offensives against Denmark and Norway nor the anticipation of attacks on the Netherlands and Belgium prompted the Turkish government to revise its policies regarding Turkish students in Europe. By May 10, 1940, when Germany launched its invasion of Belgium, 81 Turkish students were residing in the country. In the days following the offensive, approximately half of these students managed to cross into France under challenging conditions, while the remaining students were unable to do so.
Based on reports from the Turkish Ambassador to Brussels, Nebil Batı-who departed Belgium three days after the German attack and relocated to Paris-the Turkish government initially announced that all Turkish students in Belgium had successfully crossed into France. However, it soon became evident that this was inaccurate. The government subsequently began publishing lists in the press detailing the names of students who had reached France and those who remained in Belgium. Newspapers also published the names of students who returned to Türkiye from Europe during this period. Ambassador Nebil Batı’s expedited departure from Belgium, leaving behind dozens of Turkish students, drew significant criticism. The students’ families and journalist Zekeriya Sertel, writing in the Tan newspaper, publicly criticized the ambassador’s actions, highlighting the perceived abandonment of Turkish citizens in a critical situation.
While Allied forces attempted to halt the German advance in northern France, the Turkish government allowed Turkish students to decide independently whether to remain in France to continue their studies or return to Türkiye. Beginning in June, a significant number of Turkish students opted to return. However, as the German zone of occupation expanded-culminating in the fall of Paris-Turkish students in France gradually lost the opportunity to return home. In the subsequent weeks, under the guidance of the Turkish Embassy, these students began moving from one city to another within the territories controlled by the Vichy Government.
It was not until late July that the Turkish government formally decided to repatriate all Turkish students from Belgium and France. Following this decision, the Turkish Embassy in Berlin intervened on behalf of the students in Belgium, negotiating with the German government to facilitate their return through Germany. By July 1940, the Turkish students in Belgium began their journey back to Türkiye via Germany.
By mid-October 1940, 59 of the 81 Turkish students studying in Belgium had returned to Türkiye. Of the remaining students, seven were in France and Portugal, while 15 stayed in Belgium. All 15 students in Belgium were pursuing their studies independently, without the sponsorship of Turkish official institutions. In the following period, three of these 15 students chose to return to Türkiye, while the remaining 12 disregarded government warnings and refused to leave Belgium. Most of the students who returned to Türkiye due to the war, particularly those studying in Belgium on behalf of Turkish official institutions, were sent to the United States in 1940 to continue their education.
The Turkish government’s approach to Turkish students in Europe during the war was marked by inconsistency and irrationality. Initially, the government repatriated students from Germany and France. However, it subsequently sent most of them back to their respective countries of study and, during the most severe phases of the war in mid May 1940, dispatched an additional 32 Naval Construction Engineering students to Britain. At the same time, in accordance with a prior government decision, over 30 students traveled to Paris-and some to Britain- even though it was the end of the school year. These students, who undertook perilous journeys to France and Britain, were almost immediately recalled upon arrival.
This contradictory policy likely stemmed from the Turkish government’s misplaced confidence in its alliance with Britain and France, formalized in the treaty of October 19, 1939. Ankara officials appeared to believe that the First World War scenario would repeat itself, with German forces failing to penetrate the French interior. Additionally, the psychological difficulty of reversing a prior decision to send students back to their schools likely complicated the implementation of a second withdrawal.
