Bulgarian participation in WW 1

Originally posted by Kapikulu Originally posted by akritas   The Bulgarian intervention as regard the Greek part was not light at all. Was hard and more severe from the German or the Italian. Just for the record.   Not really harder and more severe than Italians and Germans during the three-weeks invasion phase of Greece as far as I know, but surely harder and severe during the occupation phase which lasted for around 3 years.

Did Bulgaria ethnically cleanse, burn villages and destroy churches like Greece had during the Second Balkan War?

Originally posted by Spartakus   Just because you hate my country,it does not make it a worth-noting historical criterium, kid.If you want to spam again,then i suggest leave the forum right now.

Edited by akritas - 05-Nov-2006 at 14:06

    Gentlemen, please stick to the topic at hand. I know I'm not a Moderator but I'm enjoying this thread and reading about Bulgarias role in WW1. I'd like to continue doing so. If you want to discuss the tangent you are takign please create a new thread and debate to your hearts content. Lets not turn this into another Balkans flame war. Please.

Some pics and info about the Bulgarian WW1 army:







source: Osprey, Man-At-Arms 356 Armies in the Balkans 1914-18

WW1 Bulgarian trench assault groups.
"...The Southern Balkan front was a heavy trench war, with lots of artillery and infantry attacks. There were also assault groups, making sudden attacks on the opposite trenches. The Bulgarian tactic was not only destroying a part of the enemy's trenches and thus preparing path for possible attack, but also capturing alive enemy soldiers, they were considered very good source for information.
These groups were armed with the standart army Mannlicher rifles with ordinary bayonets, also knives, pistols, German stick grenades, various types of explosive matherials, German gas masks, M16 steel helmets.
The groups consisted of ordinary frontline soldiers and officers, but it seems at least the officers were going though some kind of short education for their role, in frontline conditions - here is a picture of young officer to his mother, on the back written: "Dear Mother, Here, you can see the picture of what our craft is at the positions. This photograph is taken in the Assault course at the Division." /Dated January 22th 1918/."



"..Ready to attack. Helmets, stick grenades, rifles, gas masks."
On the back: "A part of our assault group on November 4th 1917"



An assault group at arms. Dated 11 June 1918



"...Sometimes the missions were successfull. An assault group has captured two Brits. Fortunately this one is well documented through the text written on the picture.
The men are from the 84th Infantry Regiment - one of the later formed regiments, with older reserve offciers, called back to service. That small assult group from that regiment was led by the quite older officer on hte picture, Poruchyk /Lt./ Boris Abadjiev. The successfull attack was made in September 1917, 3 hours after Midnight. On the back side it is also said, that the whole attack was made by 30 men, and those Englishmen were captured by him together with 9 of his men. He was not a show-off, he signed himself only as "Yours, Boris, grandson of the Bismarck, cavalier of the Bravery order, the hunter of Englishmen..."



"...on 20 November 1917 an assult group from the 18th Infantry Regiment has captured POWs from a different sort - French."


source: Gentleman's military interest club

Originally posted by Krum It was not a superpower but it was stronger than greece and serbia together.It was a fact.We lost thanks to stupid politicians and bad allies.How we like to say we won most of the battles but lost most of the wars.

One of the Basic elements of every  Nationalism!

Greece was powerfull and brave ,but the bad Allies and politicians lead to the loss in 1922.
Turkey was powerfull and brave bad the bad Westerns and sultan split the country in 1914.
Bulgaria was brave and powerfull but it was twice humiliated because the bad Allies and politicians.
etc etc etc.

We are the bravest! Its always the other's fault!

Originally posted by Dampier Excellent photographs and information. Cheers.

I agree. Thanks, Desperado.

bg_turk, first, if you have not realized it yet, the cleansing of central macedonia by Greece (true) was parallel to the cleansing of eastern Romylia by Bulgaria, and later of Thrace. You accept the first fact, but you deny the second.

Thrace was not an ethnically bulgarian region. It was mainly greek (and, well, turkish).

Bulgaria tried to bulgarianize it during the occupation of WWII, making that occupation different from the german and italian (which however should not be underestimated, especially the german).

Originally posted by xristar bg_turk, first, if you have not realized it yet, the cleansing of central macedonia by Greece (true) was parallel to the cleansing of eastern Romylia by Bulgaria, and later of Thrace. You accept the first fact, but you deny the second.