Bulgarian army in World War one

[Vasil]

Yes adolpheit is wright. During the Battle of Doiran the 33rd regiment had one heavy flamethrower. During the attack the english managed to surround the hideout where the crew and the flamethrower was but they were repulsed by a bulgarian counterattack. However latter an artilery shell caused damage to the flamethrower and burned the crew so it wasn't used during the fighting.

[dragos03]

Hi Guys,
As a result, by WWI the Bulgarian Army had already taken the severest hammering in the Balkans. It was probably therefore past its relative best.

I would disagree with this. The fact that the Bulgarians have been involved in the two Balkan wars was an advantage for them actually, since they had experienced units and commanders and tested weapons. As a result, they fought well in WW1, at least initially. War exhaustion became a problem towards the end of the war only.

[Kelvin]

Hi everyone, Adolpheit provide data on Bulgarian army munition and ammuntion was remarkable. According to my calculation from his data, her possession of 383,000 rifles/9500 carbines/5000 handguns/245 Machine guns with 247 million bullet and 859 field gun/mountain gun with 583,000 shell was not enough for war when she joined Germany in 1915, I don'st know the level of Bulgarian war production or figures of German arms supply, but when you look at Great powers combat ready level, you will see different pictures : Russian army possessed 4,290,350 Mosin-Nagant model 1891 7.62mm rifles and 362,000 Berdan 10.67mm rifles, 4,157 machine guns with total 2,446,000,000 bullets and 7,650 light and 253 heavy gun with 7,004,336 shells in August 1914 and her ally French had 4,098 x 75mm 1897 quickfirer with 5,724,906 x shells. She also had 2,880,000 Lebel rifles, 2,158 machine guns, 192 mountain guns and 389 heavy guns. German army had 5,096 x 77mm field guns with 3,822,000 shells and 1,230 x 105mm howitzers with 875,760 shells. Their combat ready level was remarkable but I don't have data on BEF and Austro-Hungarian army.
Some sources tell that Balkan states something like the war between Krupp of Germany and Schneider-Creusot of France. Balkan states were either French armed or German armed. But France had one advantage to win this war : money. As Germany lacked fund for oversea investment while French high saving ratio and lack of investment opportunites in homeland , French bank always provided bank loan to Balkan states in order to obtain political influence.Serbia began to gain French arm and loan in 1906 after her relation with Austria-Hungary became worse. French loan enabled Serbia to resist Austrian ecomomic blockade such as embargo on pigs ( Pig 's war) and French arms helped her modernize her army to protect her from possible Austrain invasion. Serbia totally obtiained 495 million frances in three loan prior to 1914. Serbian also acquried 272 x 75mm quickfirer before 1914. Romania also gained three French loan and this made her to purchase French 75 mm quickfirer rather than Krupp gun. Greece also purchased 144 x 75mm quickfirer and 24 x 75mm mountain gun with 63,000 shells in 1907 and French provided 500 million frances loan to her in 1913 for additonal arms sales and infrastucture investment and Greece recieved 15 men French military mission too.Montengro also gained French miltary assistance in 1902 by providing the former 44,000 Chassepot sword bayonets for Russian Mosin-Nagant rilfes. As King of Montengro was the best friend of Tsar. She obtained Russian financical assistance annually and Russian arm free of charge like 1895 Montengro gained 30,000 10.67mm Berdan rifles and three year later, she gained 35,000 Mosin-Nagant 7.62mm rifles with 25 million bullets and in Nov 1904 she obtained 25,000 army revolver with 6 million bullets from Russia. In July 1909 Russian supplied another 10,000 Mosin-Nagant 7.62mm rifles with 10 million bullets to Montengro. But remember that Russia was financially supported by France since 1892. Russia was finacnced by French 800 million frances war loan in 1904 and recovery of Russia after Russo-Japanese war was helped by French led 2.25 billion frances loan. Russian miltary expansion after 1905 was helped by another French 1.4 billion loan due 1959 in 1909 and another 500 milion in 1913 for railway extension. So Russian 1913 army programme was supported by French money
Germany with limited financial resources only gained her influence in Bulgaria and Turkey. German provided 500 million leva loan to Bulgarian in 1913 for arm purchases and infrastructure investment. Germany Deutsche Bank also gained 99 years concession in Berlin-Baghdad railway from Turkey.According to their agreement, German owned company Baghdad-Eisenbaln-Gesellschaft gained first 4500 frances revenue per km of track per annum , then 4500-10000 frances went to Turkey and then above 10000 frances were to be spilt between 60 : 40 between Turkey and German company.Turkey also gained German military mission. When Turkey joined the war in 1914, German gave her two warships Goeban and Breslau and 5 million pound loan to Turkey too.
You can see by 1914, French money made her dominat power in Balkan. Apart from Bulgaria and Turkey, all Balkan states were Schneider-Creusot armed. French money made her arm, especially 75mm QF, very popular. Even Italy, German partner in Triple alliance improved its relation with France and agreed to keep neutral in possible Franco-German war in 1902 after France gave her free hand in Libya in 1900 and above all, French money. French loan was provided to Italy after 1900 and in 1906 French bank group even to convert 8 billion lira Italian national debt interest rate from 5 % to 3.75% and then down to 3.5% in 1911. So French financial power enabled her to win first round not only in Balkan states but Italy and Russia too. When you look at French financial reserve, in August 1914 Banque de France held 4141 million frances gold, 625 millin silver, 1373 million in Paris securities, 1071 million in its branches and 744 million in advance in shares. It was very remarkable financial power. 1914-1918 war in Balkan was French arm against German arms though Austria-Hungary 's Steyr also provided a large quantity of small arm to Balkan states like in 1913 Romania and Greece purchased 230,000 and 200,000 rifles from Steyr.But Austrian Chief of the General Staff Conrad won Hotzendorff always thought the war with Italy, Russia and other Balkan states including Romania, Serbia and Montengro and just make Austria no friends at all , just like her ally Germany in 1914. Bulgarian army was good but made a terrible decision to join the Central Powers in 1915.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Dragos,

I carefully phrased it that they were past their "relative" best not their absolute best. The Balkan Wars of 1912-13 had been enormous drains on the blood, treasure and arsenals of Bulgaria and Serbia in particular. Both their armed forces were severely strained. While I naturally accept that both gained valuable experience, they had paid a high price.

Cheers,

Sid.

[adolpheit]

Guys - can you give more detail on the Bulgarian army's situation between its defeat in the 1913 war and Bulgaria's intervention in 1915? Specifically, after the 1913 war how long was it before the army considered itself sufficiently recovered for another go-around with Serbia?

I can find something here: http://forum.boinaslava.net/showpost.php?p=173482&postcount=168

Thanks Kelvin for your very interesting post. Your informations are very useful for me. Can you tell me their source? Only one remarks. In 1912 at the outbreak of Balkan War the Balkan Legue was armed mainly with Schneider QF guns. Bukgaria had many not QF guns made by Krupp, but all the modern guns came from Schneider (except 56 mountain guns). Of course after the war, the alliance with Germany changed entirely the situation. Both Greece and Serbia had only Schneider QF guns. On the contrary both Romania and Turkey - except a little number of montain guns (Turkey and Romania) and howitzers (Romania) - were armed only with Krupp QF and not QF guns.

As for Greece, can you add sopmething about the French military mission? I nows only the military mission sent during WW1.

Best,

Marco

[glenn239]

I can find something here

Thanks Marco. Excerpt from link given is:

During the whole period 1912-13 every gun fired 1076 rounds on an average, so at the end of the Interallied War every guns had at its disposal only 40 rounds….During the war and after its end, Bulgaria make several more order of ammunitions for artillery, but it was impossible to restore the pre-war supply. There fore in spring of 1915 general Ivan Fichev, at that time Minister of the War, asked to the Artillery Inspector, gen. Kalin Najdenov, to express his opinion about the following issues :

From this it appears that Bulgaria was woefully underprepared for conflict in July 1914.

[Kelvin]

Hi Marco, I take from dozens books and document and give me some time, I will post it. Regarding French miltary mission in Greece, what I know is one of French political term in its 500 million frances loan to Greece in 1913 by which French obtained concession in railway and harbour project and stationing of 15-men army mission in Greek army to exert military and political influence and promotion of French arms.
For addition to Conrad war plan, One of war scenario was Conrad von Hetzendorff planned to use 120,000 men, 30,000 men and 417,000 men against Serbia, Montengro and Italy at the same time and Austrian specially designed 305mm siege mortar to reduce Italian fortress. He also needed to prepare force against Russian military intervention. I think he overestimated Austro-Hungarian army performance. Unfortunately, I don't have Austrian army gun and ammo stock data in 1914

[trickcyclist]

During the Battle of Doiran the 33rd regiment had one heavy flamethrower. During the attack the english managed to surround the hideout where the crew and the flamethrower was but they were repulsed by a bulgarian counterattack. However latter an artilery shell caused damage to the flamethrower and burned the crew so it wasn't used during the fighting.

Hi, Vasil.

Can you give me the source of this information?

I'm writing a book about World War I flamethrower troops, and I'd like to include this.

I need a book or magazine title, or online reference.

If it's a book or magazine, I need the author, title, date, publishing place and publishing company, and page number.

If it's an online reference, a URL would be fine.

Thanks very much.

Tom W.

[Vasil]

Hi Tom,

The book is in bulgarian it is called "Дойранската епопея. Боятъ при в. "Дубъ". Подвигътъ на Свищовци"( The Doiran epopee.The Battle of Peak Dub. Heroism of the Svishtov Regiment). Its author was Liuben Leshtov (Любен Лещов) a liutenant in the regiment who took part in the battle.

The text can be found here:

http://www.ariergard.net/Doiran%201918.pdf

However it is in Bulgarian and I doubt there is a translation in English. I could't find the year it was published but because of the spelling i think it was in the 20s or 30s.

[trickcyclist]

Thank you for the information, Vasil.

Is this word--една--Bulgarian for "large?

[Vasil]

Thank you for the information, Vasil.

Is this word--една--Bulgarian for "large?

Една means one.

[trickcyclist]

Thanks again.

What's the Bulgarian word for "large"? Or "heavy"?

[Vasil]

Thanks again.

What's the Bulgarian word for "large"? Or "heavy"?

Large is голям (Masculine gender)

[Vasil]

Heavy is тежъk(Masculine gender). flamethrower = огнепръскачка.
When I look at it now the text says the Regiment had a detachment of one flamethrower but it doesn't mention f it is heavy or light.

[trickcyclist]

Thanks again. I appreciate it.

It's hard to figure out the true story. The Bulgarians used German flamethrowers; the heavy model had a five-man squad, and the light model had a four-man squad.

With such a big squad for each flamethrower, it's confusing.