User:B.Velikov/sandbox/Structural History of the Modern Bulgarian Army

The force structure of the Bulgarian People's Army during the Cold War was a radical departure from the principles and the strategic situation of the country during the time of monarchy. The modern Bulgarian armed forces were established as the Bulgarian Land Army (Българска Земска Войска, in 1879 changed to Bulgarian Army - Българска Войска) with the transfer of the Opalchentsi volunteer corps' 12 battalions from the Russian Imperial Army to the armed forces of the newly liberated Principality of Bulgaria on July 15, 1878. The Treaty of Berlin, signed only two days before that date severely limited the territory of the new state to only 63,752 km2 of the around 200 000 km2 of the Bulgarian Exarchate. The area populated by compact masses of the Bulgarian nation was objectively established by the referendums, held in 1873 in church municipalities throughout the European part of the Ottoman Empire on their inclusion into the independent Bulgarian Exarchate, newly established in 1870. These boundaries were confirmed by the delegates of the Constantinople Conference in 1876-77 as the area of the Bulgarian nation. The territory close to 200 000 km2 was reduced with the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878 by the territories given to Romania and Serbia for their participation in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 to about 172 000 km2. The Congress of Berlin was summoned to regulate the Balkan region after the war, as the peace treaty was a preliminary one, not consulted with the European great powers.

The result was highly traumatic to the Bulgarians. The areas given to Romania and Serbia were further increased, the territory of present day Macedonia was returned to the Ottoman Empire to be ruled directly by the Sublime Porte. The region of Eastern Rumelia (with an area of 32 978 km2, after it was further reduced by the Tamrash and Kardzhali localities) was given an autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. What was left of the roughly 200 000 km2 was an area of 63 752 km2 (comprising the territory of modern day Northern Bulgaria and the districts of Sofia and Kyustendil to the south of the Stara Planina), was established as the Principality of Bulgaria, a client state in vassal subordination to the Ottoman sultan, with its own army, but denied of its own foreign policy and obliged to repay part of the Ottoman foreign debt at the moment of its formation as a separate entity.

This situation determined the military strategy of the Principality. With its existence itself put into question the mission of the newly established Bulgarian army was to prepare to fight for the integration of all areas outside of the borders of the Principality, inhabited by Bulgarians. This meant that the state was surrounded on all sides by hostile neighbours, including the suzerain - the Ottoman Empire, which has a crushing military superiority over it. The Eastern Rumelia autonomous region, which was also predominantly populated by Bulgarians had its own military force, called a Militia. The The Bulgarian Land Army (the military force of the Principality) was initially organised in three "departments" - Eastern, Southern and Sofia. This structure was transformed in 1883 into four infantry (HQs in Sofia, Pleven, Ruse and Shumen, with 25 infantry battalions in total) and one cavalry (HQ and Household Horse Regiment in Sofia and Berkovitsa, 2nd Horse Regiment in Shumen) brigades. The Eastern Rumelia Militia (legally an auxiliary corps of the Ottoman military) had two brigades - Filipopol (western) and Sliven (eastern) and 12 infantry battalions between them.

Eastern Rumelia revolted and proclaimed its unification with the Principality. The Bulgarian Prince accepted it. As a consequence of the revolution the Ottoman Empire remained generally passive, contrary to the expectations to intervene by a military force (because of that the bulk of the Bulgarian military was at the border with the Empire). Serbia lainched an aggression instead, but its incursion was stopped close to Sofia and subsequently pushed deep into Serbian territory itself. After the war the Eastern Rumelia Militia was completely absorbed into the Bulgarian Army as its 5th and 6th Infantry Brigades. With the gradual increase in infrastructure and weapons procurement the army upgraded its 6 infantry brigades into divisions (each comprising 2 brigades of two infantry regiments of two infantry battalions; an artillery regiment; a cavalry squadron; transport company and a hospital) in the end of 1891:

1st Infantry Sofia Division (1-ва пехотна Софийска дивизия) (HQ in Sofia)
2nd Infantry Thrace Division (2-ра пехотна Тракийска дивизия) (HQ in Plovdiv)
3rd Infantry Balkan Division (3-та пехотна Балканска дивизия) (HQ in Sliven)
4th Infantry Preslav Division (4-та пехотна Преславска дивизия) (Preslav was the capitol of the First Bulgarian Empire and the division is named that way for traditional reasons, but the HQ was in Shumen)
5th Infantry Danube Division (5-та пехотна Дунавска дивизия) (HQ in Ruse)
6th Infantry Bdin Division (6-та пехотна Бдинска дивизия) (Bdin is the ancient name of Vidin and the division is named that way for traditional reasons, but the HQ was in Vratsa)

The Cavalry Brigade was expanded into a division, an independent Artillery Brigade (HQ and 1st Artillery Regiment in Sofia, 2nd Artillery Regiment in Shumen and 3rd Artillery Regiment in Plovdiv) and the pioneer units into a Pioneer Brigade and independent fortress battalions (actually called battalions, unlike the infantry battalions, traditionally called druzhinas). Each division had its own assigned divisionary area, thus dividing the country's territory in six parts. In 1895 a border battalion was formed in each of the divisions and in 1897 the navy was split into a Black Sea Part and a Danube Flotilla.

In the beginning of 1904 three new infantry divisions were formed:

7th Infantry Rila Division (7-ма пехотна Рилска дивизия) (HQ in Dupnitsa)
8th Infantry Tundzha Division (8-ма пехотна Тунджанска дивизия) (HQ in Stara Zagora)
9th Infantry Pleven Division (9-та пехотна Плевенска дивизия) (HQ in Pleven)

with the corresponding reorganisation of the Bulgarian territory into nine divisionary areas. These nine, together with the Cavalry, are the most distinguished divisions in the modern Bulgarian military history. In 1907 three Military Inspection Regions were formed. Each of them included three divisionary areas and was tasked to form a field army in wartime.

I-st Military Inspection Region (I-ва Военно-Инспекционна Област) with HQ in Sofia and the 1st (HQ in Sofia), 6th (HQ in Vidin) and 7th (HQ in Dupnitsa) divisionary areas
II-nd Military Inspection Region (II-ра Военно-Инспекционна Област) with HQ initially in Stara Zagora, but since mid-1908 in Plovdiv and the 2nd (HQ in Plovdiv), 3rd (HQ in Sliven) and 8th (HQ in Stara Zagora) divisionary areas
III-rd Military Inspection Region (III-та Военно-Инспекционна Област) with HQ initially in Ruse, in 1920 moved to Shumen and in 1928 to Varna and the 4th (HQ in Shumen), 5th (HQ in Ruse) and 9th (HQ in Pleven) divisionary areas

As the geographical disposition sugests that force structure followed the terrain of the country - the Danube flatland to the north, the Sofia plateau to the west and the narrow Struma valley to the southwest and the Thracian flatland to the center and the southeast with mountain ranges between them. It also (due to the country's geopolitical stance) called for an all-round defence. As the three-division composition of the regions suggests the armies are of actual corps strength.

The three armies were mobilized in 1912 in preparation for the First Balkan War and the 4th Army was formed in December 1912 as a wartime formation of 2 1/2 divisions in anticipation of an Ottoman counterattack. It was disbanded after the Second Balkan War, reestablished during the World War I and disbanded again in 1920 together with the other armies. The 5th Army was formed in May 1913 as the 1st Reserve Army in reaction to an anticipated Serbian advance on the capital Sofia. It too war deactivated and reactivated for World War I and disbanded in 1920. The severe limitations of the Peace Treaty of Neuilly (of 33 000 rifle-armed servicemen in total, including 10 000 gendarmes and 3 000 de-militarised border guards) were implemented in 1920:

the three peacetime Military Inspection Regions (wartime armies) headquarters were transformed into three First-class Garrisons - Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna
the peacetime infantry divisions became three-battalion infantry regiments
the country was absolutely denied the right to field an air force and to develop aircraft production
the navy was de-militarized into a Maritime Police Service and a Danube Police Service

The Treaty of Neuilly established strict limitations not only to the total manpower numbers of military servicemen, gendarmes, border guards and armed customs agents, but it also set strict limitations (both no less than a set number and no more than a set number of officers and NCOs and lower ranks, as established in Table IV) on the types of military formations themselves, as in

TABLE I. COMPOSITION AND MAXIMUM EFFECTIVES OF AN INFANTRY DIVISION: Total for an Infantry Division: no more than 414 officers and 10 780 NCOs and lower ranks, but not less than 300 officers and 8 000 NCOs and lower ranks The Infantry Division should have not more than 3 infantry regiments as its line units and each infantry regiment was limited to 65 officers and 2 000 NCOs and lower ranks, but not less than 52 officers and 1 600 NCOs and lower ranks.

TABLE II. COMPOSITION AND MAXIMUM EFFECTIVES FOR A CAVALRY DIVISION Total for a Cavalry Division of six regiments: 259 officers and 5 380 NCOs and lower ranks, but not less than 180 officers and 3 650 NCOs and lower ranks.

TABLE III. COMPOSITION AND MAXIMUM EFFECTIVES FOR A MIXED BRIGADE Total for Mixed Brigade of two infantry regiments and support: 198 officers and 5 350 NCOs and lower ranks, but not less than 140 officers and 4 250 NCOs and lower ranks.

These numbers clearly show how with the limit of 20 000 men in the army in accord with the peace treaty only one infantry division and one cavalry division could have been formed

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Neuilly/Part_IV

The limitations, prescribed by the Neuilly Peace Treaty of not only maximum, but also minimum effectives and the fixed numbers of unit commands per divisions and brigades left no space for manoeuvering to the Bulgarian Army in regards to the force structure. The fixed

Infantry Regiment - 52 / 1 600 - 65 / 2 000 Mixed Brigade - 140 / 4 250 - 198 / 5 350 Infantry Division - 300 / 8 000 - 414 / 10 780

The number of infantry regiments per infantry division was fixed at 3 and the number of infantry regiments per mixed brigade was fixed at 2 with the goal to prevent the Bulgarian Army from forming a skeleton peace-time command structure, which would be easily boosted by conscripts in a case of war. The minimal strength of 300 officers and 8 000 NCOs / lower ranks per infantry division prohibited the reduction of the three pre-war peacetime Military Inspection Districts to infantry divisions, as it exceeded the 20 000 limit of the army. For that reason it was decided to go for a force structure of four mixed brigades. The nine pre-war peacetime infantry divisions constricted into eight infantry regiments. As the existence of tactical units independent from the divisional / brigade headquarters was forbidden by the treaty, the 9th Infantry Pleven Division had to be disbanded (due to being the most junior of the nine by the date of its formation). The peacetime Artillery and Engineer Brigades were also disbanded. The Cavalry Division disbanded as well and the cavalry arms was absorbed as mounted squadrons into the gendarmery. The Navy was transformed into a Maritime Police Service and a Danube Police Service and the Air Force was transformed into an Aerial Section of the Gendarmery, but even that was contested by the Allied Regulatory Commission as a violation of the Treaty, so it was further transformed into an Aerial Section of the Ministry for Railways.

And Allied Regulatory Commission by the Entente was formed in Sofia with the mission to safeguard the limitations of the Bulgarian Army. These clauses put a serious strain of the security of the country. In 1923 the Bulgarian government had to plead to the commission for the temporary mobilisation of 3 000 men in exccess of the 33 000 rifle-armed miitary, gendarmery, border guard and customs personnel as per the treaty, in order to put down the June and the September Uprisings of 1923. In 1925, taking advantage of the seriously weakened Bulgarian military, Greece launched an aggression in the Struma river valley. The Incident at Petrich was solved by the League of Nations in Bulgarian favour and is sometimes pointed as the only instance when the Organisation has actually successfully fulfilled its mission to prevent wars through diplomatic means.

This catalyzed the move to break the limitations of the Neuilly Peace Treaty. In 1927 the Minister of Defence Lieutenant-General Ivan Valkov issued a top secret order No. 226 "For The Reorganization Of The Army" for the reestablishment the 4 peacetime army headquarters with 8 infantry divisions of 3 infanry regiments each. Each division formed a field artillery regiment of 2 battalions and a special battery of supporting units (signals platoon, anti-aircraft platoon and a target acquisition platoon) and each army formed an army artillery regiment of 4 fire batteries. The cavalry was reestablished in the form of 10 horse regiments in 4 horse groups (7th Horse Regiment converted to Horse Artillery). The Naval Headquarters was also reestablished and the Civil Aeronautics Directorate of the Ministry for Railways was put on a clearly military footing with a headquarters, technical service a mixed flock, a maritime squadron and a training flock. AN Air Defence Service and a Chemical Defence Service were also formed. This was all done in clear violation of the Treaty and in absolute secrecy, so the overt force structure in compliance with the Neuilly Peace Treaty was kept. In 1933 the infantry regiments were further split with almost all of the gendarmery battalions (the 24 infantryregiments were in general made up of one infantry and one gendarmery battalion and smaller supporting units) earmarked to deploy into a full infantry regiment in wartime.

Still the covert military build-up in defiance of the Neuilly Peace Treaty made possible only the formation of a skeletonized command structure. The acquizition of modern weapons and equipment in meaningfull numbers as well as the nummerical increase in manpower were still impossible. In the mid-1930s the Bulgarian monarch and the Government went on to establish friendler relaions with the neighbouring countries and seizing the moment of rising tension around the rise of the Nazis in Germany to thwart the Treaty. The Kingdom of Bulgaria was successfull in these endeavours and by 1937 the Neuilly Peace Treaty was nullified. The secret order of battle was rapidly put into action with the corresponding call-up of conscripts and acquisition of weapons and equipment for them. The infantry recruitment system of the Bulgarian Army as of January 1, 1939 was:

1st Army Region (1ва Армейска Област)
- 1st Infantry Sofia Division (1ва Пехотна Софийска Дивизия)
  - 1st Military Area (1-во военно окръжие) (Sofia, conscripts from the Sofia urban okolia) - Софийска градска околия
  - 6th Military Area (6-то военно окръжие) (Sofia, conscripts from the Sofia rural okolia, Tsaribrod, Tran and Breznik okolias)
  - 16th Military Area (16-то военно окръжие) (Botevgrad) - Ботевградска околия, Новоселска околия, Тетевенска околия, Пирдопска околия
- 7th Infantry Rila Division (7-ма Пехотна Рилска Дивизия)
  - 13th Military Area (13-то военно окръжие) (Kyustendil) - Кюстендилска околия, Радомирска околия
  - 22nd Military Area (22-ро военно окръжие) (Samokov) - Самоковска околия, Дупнишка околия, Ихтиманска околия
  - 14th Military Area (14-то военно окръжие) (Gorna Dzhumaya) - Горно Джумайска околия, Св. Врачка околия, Петричка околия
  - 39th Military Area (39-то военно окръжие) (Неврокоп) - Неврокопска околия, Разложка околия
2nd Army Region (2ра Армейска Област) (Plovdiv)
- 2nd Infantry Thrace Division (2ра Пехотна Тракийска Дивизия) (Plovdiv)
  - 9th Military Area (9-то военно окръжие (Пловдив) - Пловдивска селска околия, Карловска
  - 21st Military Area (21-во военно окръжие (Пловдив) - Пловдивска градска околия, Девинска, Смолянска, Асеновградска
  - 27th Military Area (27-мо военно окръжие (Пазарджик) - Пазарджишка околия, Пещерска околия, Панагюрска околия
- 8th Infantry Tundzha Division (8ма Пехотна Тунджанска Дивизия)
  - 12th Military Area (12-то военно окръжие (Стара Загора) - Старозагорска околия, Казанлъшка околия, Чирпанска околия
  - 10th Military Area (10-то военно окръжие (Хасково) - Хасковска околия, Борисовградска околия, Свиленградска околия, Харманлийска околия)
  - 38th Military Area (38-мо военно окръжие (Кърджали) - Ардинска околия, Крумовградска околия, Кърджалийска околия, Момчилградска околия, Ивайловградска околия, Златоградска околия
3rd Army Region (3та Aрмейска Oбласт) (Sliven)
- 3rd Infantry Balkan Division (3та Пехотна Балканска Дивизия) (Sliven)
  - 11th Military Area (11-то военно окръжие (Сливен) - Сливенска околия, Новозагорска околия, Котленска околия
  - 29th Military Area (29-то военно окръжие (Ямбол) - Ямболска околия, Карнобатска околия, Елховска околия
  - 24th Military Area (24-то военно окръжие (Бургас) - Айтоска околия, Поморийска околия, Бургаска околия, Средецка околия, Малкотърновска околия
- 4th Infantry Preslav Division (4та Пехотна Преславска Дивизия) (Shumen)
  - 19th Military Area (19-то военно окръжие (Разград) - Разградска околия, Търговищка околия, Исперихска околия, Поповска околия
  - 7th Military Area (7-мо военно окръжие (Шумен) - Шуменска околия, Преславска околия, Омуртагска околия, Новопазарска околия
  - 8th Military Area (8-мо военно окръжие (Варна) - Варненска околия, Провадийска околия
4th Army Region (4та Армейска област) (Varna)
- 5th Infantry Danube Division (5та Пехотна Дунавска Дивизия) (Ruse)
  - 5th Military Area (5-то военно окръжие (Русе) - Русенска градска околия, Русенска селска околия, Кубратска околия
  - 18th Military Area (18-то военно окръжие (Велико Търново) - Търновска околия, Еленска околия, Дряновска околия, Габровска околия
  - 33th Military Area (33-то военно окръжие (Свищов) - Свищовска околия, Горнооряховска околия, Беленска околия
- 6th Infantry Bdin Division (6та Пехотна Бдинска Дивизия) (Vratsa)
  - 3th Military Area (3то Военно Окръжие (Видин) - Видинска околия, Ломска околия
  - 15th Military Area (15то Военно Окръжие (Белоградчик) - Белоградчишка околия, Фердинандска околия, Берковска околия, Кулска околия)
  - 35th Military Area (35то Военно Окръжие (Враца) - Врачанска околия, Белослатинска околия
- 9th Infantry Pleven Division (9та Пехотна Плевенска Дивизия)
  - 4th Military Area (4-то военно окръжие (Плевен) - Плевенска околия, Луковитска околия
  - 34th Military Area (34-то военно окръжие (Ловеч) - Ловешка околия, Севлиевска околия, Троянска околия
  - 36th Military Area (36-то военно окръжие (Оряхово) - Оряховска околия, Никополска околия