The Balkan Front was a military formation of the Bulgarian People's Army , intended for wartime use under the general direction of the Soviet General Staff . If a war was to have broken out between NATO and the Warsaw Pact , the bulk of the Bulgarian army would have been assigned to it.
31-590: In case of war the Bulgarian People's Army's Land Forces Command would have formed the 1st Balkan Front with the three Bulgarian armies and wartime reinforcements. Additional Soviet units would also come under its command (particularly 10th Army of the Soviet Union (10th Air Army?), planned to deploy between the fifth and tenth day after a full mobilization in the area between Silistra , Tolbukhin , Varna and Omurtag ) Colonel-General Hristo Dobrev,
62-613: A conference about the organization of the armed forces of about ten years ago [around 2003] Lt.-Gen. Hristov described the need for the LFC as such: "It is well known, that according to the operational plans of the Supreme Headquarters of the Warsaw Pact Organization our country was supposed to form a frontal Operational-Strategical Formation (фронтово оперативно-стратегическо обединение), mainly including
93-468: A model for the formation of a front command in peacetime, but nevertheless due to factors completely outside of operational considerations, the MDPT was disestablished in 1965 and for several years we made a step back to the old ad hoc practices for the formation of an FC, which were proven time and again to be ineffective. During the years after 1965 our experience has convinced us in the necessity of having
124-651: A permanent peacetime nucleus for the formation of a wartime front command. After long discussions and despite the objections of the General Staff, in the summer of 1973 the Collegium [leadership] of the Ministry of People's Defence has decided for the formation of the Land Forces Command (Командване на сухопътните войски (КСВ)) with two main tasks - to direct the complete preparedness and build-up of
155-637: A static fortified defensive line along the Turkish border, unofficially called the " Krali Marko Line" . Later, when the T-54 and T-55 started replacing the T-34 in larger quantities, some of the retired Soviet tanks were added. In 1950 two new tank divisions were formed (in Sofia and Kazanlak), but with the technological advancements and the increase in weight and dimensions of the tanks at that time after an evaluation it
186-589: The 3rd Rifle Corps (in reserve) (33 and 113 RDs), under General Ivan Zakharkin . On 22 June 1941, at the onset of Operation Barbarossa , the Army was part of the Soviet Western Front . It consisted of the 1st Rifle Corps ( 2nd and 8th Rifle Divisions ); 5th Rifle Corps (including 13th , 86th , and 113th Rifle Divisions ); 6th Cavalry Corps ( 6th and 36th Cavalry Divisions ) and 6th and 13th Mechanised Corps , under General K.D. Golubev. It
217-580: The 49th Army . Georgi Rakovski Military Academy The Georgi Rakovski Military Academy ( Bulgarian : Военна академия „Георги Стойков Раковски“ ), based in Sofia , is Bulgaria 's oldest military institution of higher education . It is named after Bulgarian revolutionary writer Georgi Sava Rakovski . It was officially established on 1 March 1912 with an act of the National Assembly of Bulgaria and opened on 4 January 1915, delayed due to
248-723: The Balkan Wars . Since its creation, the academy has served as the main institution for the training of military commanders and personnel in Bulgaria and the primary one in the field of national security and military science , as well as NATO operational compatibility. The academy trains 1,500 officers and civil individuals a year and has 148 qualified lecturers. It is headed by Major-General Grudi Ivanov. 42°41′0″N 23°18′26″E / 42.68333°N 23.30722°E / 42.68333; 23.30722 This Bulgarian university, college or other education institution article
279-758: The Soviet Union 's Red Army was a field army active from 1939 to 1944. The Army was formed in September 1939, in the Moscow Military District , and then deployed to the Western Special Military District. During the Soviet invasion of Poland it consisted, according to Steven Zaloga, of the 11th Rifle Corps ( 6th , 33rd , and 121st RD ); the 16th Rifle Corps ( 8th , 52nd , and 55th Rifle Divisions ); and
310-606: The second Battle of Smolensk . The 10th Army headquarters with associated units was withdrawn from the Western Front to the Stavka Reserve in early April (General Staff's directive of 7.04.44). From 10 April, it was moved to Roslavl, where it was to take control of the 81st and 103rd Rifle Corps (total 5 divisions). That same month, the army was disbanded and its headquarters formed the basis of Headquarters 2nd Belorussian Front while its formations were reassigned to
341-494: The 1st Balkan Front, at Sofia , would have had direct command of the following units and formations: The Bulgarian People's Army education institutions would have formed the following units in wartime: Another Reserve Officers' Training School is also listed - bg:Осма мотострелкова дивизия . The eight motor rifle divisions were not all organized in the same way. Four fielded a tank regiment and three motor rifle regiments and four divisions fielded four motor rifle regiments. Also
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#1732787102002372-569: The 4th Army. The headquarters was officially disbanded on 5 July 1941. The commander of the 10th Army, Major General KD Golubev , and the army artillery commander, Major General M. Barsukov, escaping from the encirclement in a consolidated group with the August 86th Border Detachment of the NKVD, in late July Golubev was appointed commander of 13th Army , which participated in the Battle of Smolensk . It
403-867: The Armoured Brigade a new tank regiment was formed in Samokov with 65 T-34 tanks (in 1947) and an armoured troops school was formed in Botevgrad (in 1950). A formation of 1st Tank Division also started in Kazanlak in 1947 with T-34s, only to be disbanded in 1949 with its four tank regiments to be converted into tank brigades and subordinated to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Army and the General Reserve respectively. The front line infantry divisions started forming tank battalions (one each) and several hundred trophy German tanks were transferred to Bulgaria to form
434-674: The Bulgarian People's Army with the mission in case of an aggression launched against the People's Republic of Bulgaria to mount defensive action on the southern state border in order to secure the deployment on Bulgarian soil of additionally one Soviet and one Romanian front, after which with the support of the Soviet Strategic Missile Troops the three fronts were, with the support of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet [which at that point would have absorbed
465-521: The Bulgarian and the Romanian Navies] to launch a strategic operation aimed at the total destruction of the aggressor... Our men were excellently trained. Our Land Forces at the moment [the 1970s] numbered around 60~62 000 men, the exercises were constant. Each division executed annually one winter and one summer exercise in full strength. The three army headquarters - one command exercise under
496-519: The FC, knowing that this meant, that in case of war their departments would lose that personnel. In these circumstance the FC was unable to mobilise and interact with the headquarters of its subordinated armies, formations and the units in its direct subordination [in a meaningful way]. Taking these shortages into account already in 1963 the Minister decided, that a peacetime nucleus for the mobilization of
527-528: The Front Command suffered from significant flaws. In its comprehensive form it only existed for the duration of massive operational-strategic exercises. That hindered its training and manpower recruitment. The personnel of the front command was always different from one formation to another. The chiefs of departments within the MPO and the General Staff were disincentivized to dispatch their best subordinates to
558-636: The command of the Supreme Commander of the Unified Armed Forces of the Warsaw Treaty Organization and the [Bulgarian] Minister of People's Defence. Initially the command of the front was formed following the "emission" method - dispatching personnel from the General Staff and the departments of the Ministry of People's Defence [on an ad hoc basis]. There is hardly any need to proove, that this means to form
589-668: The first commander of the Land Forces Command (the peacetime organisation, which would transform into the Balkan Front in case of war) gave the following reasons for its formation: "It is well established, that according to the operational plans of the Warsaw Pact's Joint Forces High Command, our country should have formed a front operational-strategic formation, including the main forces of the BPA. In case of an armed aggression this front should have organised defensive operations along
620-572: The land forces as a type of the armed forces and to prepare to transform into a front command in case of a war..." According to Lieutenant-General Hristo Hristov (former Chief of the Land Forces and Chief of the Georgi Rakovski Military Academy ): "For that purpose the Land Forces Command was formed in 1973. Its first chief was Colonel-General Hristo Dobrev, with the rank of Deputy Minister of People's Defence. At
651-689: The leadership of the respective army commander and one command exercise under the leadership of the Land Forces Main Staff annually. The massive exercises of the Land Forces, normally during the summers normally included an army headquarters from the Soviet Army and occasionally an army headquarters from the Romanian Army. On the Balkan operational direction our armed forces were planned to cooperate with them." The headquarters of
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#1732787102002682-579: The southern border and provide the cover for the deployment of one Soviet and one Romanian front, after which the combined forces of the three fronts with the support of the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces and the Combined Black Sea Fleet were to execute counter-offensive operations for the destruction of the aggressor. These plans have been rehearsed in several strategic command and staff exercises under
713-527: The space of three weeks from the reserve of the Moscow Military District and been trained for 12 hours a day. General Lieutenant Filipp Golikov took command. Golikov's 1967 book describes how the army finished its concentration in the Penza area on 8 November 1941, after which 15 days were devoted to combat training and 5 days to construction of living quarters and other facilities. There were shortages of everything including warm winter clothing. The majority of
744-639: The tank regiments with T-55s. The 220 T-62s put in reserve storage. In 1992 another 100 T-72s and 100 BMP-1s received second-hand from Russia, went to the 24th Tank Brigade. The five active tank brigades (9th in the 1st Army, 5th and 11th in the 2nd Army and 13th and 24th in the 3rd Army) were organized as follows: The three rocket artillery brigades were organized as follows: The three army tactical missile brigades were organized as follows: The three army artillery regiments were organized as follows: The three army anti-tank regiments were organized as follows: 10th Army (Soviet Union) The 10th Army of
775-616: The troops were between 30 and 40 years of age and, in some cases, up to 65% of the men had no military training. Initially part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command ( Stavka Reserve), it was reassigned to the Western Front for the Battle of Moscow , after moving up to Ryazan attacking on the morning of 6 December 1941. In 1942, it continued its defensive operations on the central axis, and in 1943 took part in
806-610: The two training/reserve divisions (18th, 21st) were partially equipped with older equipment. The only armoured formation in the Army of the Kingdom of Bulgaria was the Armoured Brigade, based in Sofia and armed with German equipment. After the end of the Second World War and the signing of the Paris peace treaty by Bulgaria in 1947, the Soviet Union began to strengthen the armed forces of its new satellite state. In addition to
837-664: The wartime Front Command should be formed. This has led to the birth of the Main Directorate for Preparedness of the Troops (Главно управление за подготовка на войските (ГУПВ)) It consisted of a command, staff, Political Directorate, commands of the various combat branches and an operational group of personnel from the BPA's logistical department and the MPO's Main Directorate for Weapons and Equipment. General Vrachev, until that moment First Deputy-Minister of People's Defence
868-496: Was appointed as its first chief and I, until then First Deputy-Chief of the General Staff, was appointed as its chief of staff. In this form the MDPT has existed for two years. During that time it was responsible for the combat and mobilization readiness, operational and combat training of the Land Forces, training of staff personnel and participation in front-level exercises commanded by the Minister. The experience gained during its existence has unequivocally showed its usefulness as
899-549: Was decided, that the predominantly mountainous terrain of Bulgaria is unsuitable for the deployment of tank divisions and the Bulgarian Land Forces reformed their tank forces into brigades and regiments. 333 Т-72s of Soviet and Czechoslovak manufacture delivered until the collapse of the Socialist bloc and spread between the 9th and 13th tank brigades and training centers. The 5th, 11th and 24th tank brigades and
930-571: Was encircled by German forces in June 1941 and largely destroyed. By late June, the German Army Group Centre surrounded the 3rd, 4th and the 10th Armies in the Battle of Białystok–Minsk . In the end, all the formations and units of the 10th Army were defeated. On 30 June, while trying to cross the highway Minsk-Baranovichi, the army headquarters was destroyed, coming out of the remnants of the environment were addressed by fitting of
961-724: Was formed three times in 1941, next in October in the Southern Front , but its formation 'was halted due to severe battle conditions'. It was then reformed in November 1941 in the Volga region , with nine divisions, seven of which were new formations. Soviet official websites give the nine divisions as the 322nd , 323rd , 324th , 325th , 326th , 328th and 330th Rifle , and 57th & 75th Cavalry , thus including two cavalry divisions. Nine of these divisions had been formed in