The Bulgarian resistance movement was part of the Resistance during World War II. Resistance during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means ranging from non-cooperation disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots It consisted of armed and unarmed actions of resistance groups against the Wehrmacht forces in Bulgaria and Kingdom of Bulgaria's authorities. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian The Kingdom of Bulgaria (Царство България was established on October 5, 1908 ( September 22 O It is mainly, but not only,Communist and pro-Soviet. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. A participant in the armed resistance is called partizanin(a partisan) and one of the helpers - yatak(a supporter, someone who provides cover for someone else).
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Background
Nazi forces entered Bulgaria as a result of Bulgaria's adhesion to the Axis on the 1 March 1941. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries The Bulgarian Communist Party(BWP) declared this to be a "fatal move" and once again called for a union with the USSR. The Bulgarian Communist Party (Българска комунистическа партия / Balgarska Komunisticheska Partiya) was the ruling party of the People's Republic The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Communists had long despised the pro-German policy of Prime Minister Bogdan Filov and even campaigned in 1940 for political pact with Moscow (Sobolev action). Bogdan Dimitrov Filov (Богдан Димитров Филов ( 9 April 1883 – 2 February 1945) became a powerful politician and was Prime Before the German invasion in USSR, there had not been any armed resistance in Bulgaria. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 At the start of World War II, the Comintern supported a policy of non-intervention, arguing that the war was an imperialist war between various national ruling classes, but when the Soviet Union itself was invaded on June 22, 1941, the Comintern changed its position. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow Non-intervention is the norm in International relations that one State cannot interfere in the internal politics of another state based upon the principles Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The resistance movement, was set up in August, 1941 by the Bulgarian Communist Party to oppose the pro-Nazi government.
Beginning
The German attack on the Soviet Union on the 22 June 1941 sparked the rage of the Communists and the Russophiles in Bulgaria. The same day the BCP spread a brochure among the people urging "to hinder by all means the usage of Bulgarian land and soldiers for the criminal purposes of German fascism". Two days later, on the 24 June, the BCP called for an armed resistance against the Wehrmacht and the Bogdan Filov government. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Bogdan Dimitrov Filov (Богдан Димитров Филов ( 9 April 1883 – 2 February 1945) became a powerful politician and was Prime In the first year of the resistance the BCP used mainly its combat groups. They carried out a number of sabotages - arson and demolition of arms, clothes and fuel warehouses, of communications, factories and transport lines. The combat groups assassinated prominent Bulgarian politicians, army and police leaders, Wehrmacht officers. The combat groups' activities impaired the image of Hitler's supporters in Bulgaria but a great number of their members were captured or killed. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately The first guerrilla detachments were created in the late summer of 1941. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc They were relatively small and were called chetas. They were created in the Pirin, Rhodopes and Sredna gora mountains. The Pirin Mountains (Пирин are a Mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren (2914 m high the highest peak situated at The Rhodopes (Родопи Rodopi, usually used with a definite article Родопите Rodopite, sometimes also called Родопа Rodopa or Родопа Sredna Gora (Средна гора is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range (Stara Planina and extending The first known partisan in Bulgaria is Ivan Kozarev and the first partisan commander - Nikola Parapunov. In September 1941, Bulgarian Communist emigrés arrive on Soviet submarines and aircraft with the main purpose to boost the resistance movement. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out" but often carries a connotation of politico-social self- Exile. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups dedicated to fighting an Invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation The 55 experienced Communist fighters are sent, according to one version, by the Foreign Bureau of the BCP. According to another version, they were sent by order of the NKVD, of which the Bulgarian Communists in Moscow were not aware. The NKVD ( НКВД, ru Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел ''Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del'') or People's Commissariat Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of The landing of the so called "paratroopers" and "submariners" turned out to be precipitate and most of them were captured or killed. On the other hand, the ones who survived became some of the most prominent partisan leaders.
Rise of the partisan force
In the winter of 1941-1942 the Wehrmacht suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Moscow. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 The Battle of Moscow (Битва под Москвой Romanized: Bitva pod Moskvoy, Schlacht um Moskau is the name given by the Soviet historians to the two This busted the myth of the invincibility of the German army and showed that the blitzkrieg in the Soviet Union has failed. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 In April 1942 a map titled "The Danube area" was published in Germany, where the so called "new annexed territories" of Bulgaria in Macedonia and Thrace were described as "territories under temporary Bulgarian administration". Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe This was a failure for Sofia's official propaganda, which claimed to have completed the national unification of the Bulgarians. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people Greater Bulgaria is term to identify the territory associated with a historical national state and a modern Bulgarian Irredentist Nationalist movement which The above events led to a rise in the partisans manpower and prestige. In July 1942 on the underground radio station "Hristo Botev" Georgi Dimitrov announced the creation of the Fatherland Front(FF). Hristo Botev (Христо Ботев also transliterated as Hristo Botyov) ( January 6, 1848 – June 2, 1876) born Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov (Георги Димитров Михайлов also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov (Георгий Михайлович Димитров It was a major anti-fascist coalition between the Communists, the Agrarians and the "Zveno" party. Zveno ( Link) (Звено was a Bulgarian military and political organization founded in 1930 by army officers The FF demands the non-participation of Bulgarian forces in the war against the USSR, the immediate return of Bulgarian occupation forces from Greek and Yugoslav territory, a breach of the union with Germany, a halt of the grain export for Nazi Germany, friendly relations with the USSR, the United Kingdom and the USA, restoration of civil freedoms, denunciation of non-constitutional laws, cessation of military actions against civil population, dismissal of all pro-fascist organization and eradication of racial hatred. The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croato-Slovene ie Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene: Kraljevina Jugoslavija Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology Despite the arrest and later execution of most of the CentralCommittee of the BCP(due to the betrayal of one of the members), the strength of the partisans continued to grow. In August 1943 the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party joined the FF.
Fierce Fighting
Due to the growing number and manpower of partisan cheti and detachments, in April 1943 they were organized in [[People's Liberation Rebel Army(NOVA)]]. NOVA divided Bulgaria in 12 Rebel Operative Zones which implied BWP's intention of seizing power. The Bulgarian authorities responded by reinforcing the persecution of the resistance members. Thousands of opposition activists were killed, imprisoned or interned. The government created a special gerndarmerie force which received almost unlimited power to pursue the partisans. The gendarmes became notorious for carrying out atrocities against captured partisans and their yatatsi. Gendarmerists and police also became increasingly involved in harassment, arson and murders of partisans' families. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force Partisans staged attacks on railroads and warehouses, used by the German or the Bulgarian forces. When that was possible, they captured villages to organize meeting in support of the FF, destroy police and tax archives and supply themselves with food and arms.
BCP increased its activity among the Bulgarian soldiers. A frequent event was the army's low effectiveness in fighting partisan detachments. A significant number of soldiers desert to join the partisans. Such events were mainly observed in the Bulgarian forces in Yugoslavia and Greece. 7 partisan detachments were created by transformed former army battalions, which organizedly sided with the partisans. Most prominent soldier-partisan commanders were Ditcho Petrov and Atanas Rusev. In the spring of 1944 the Bulgarian government decided to crush the partisans and mobilised about 100 000 soldiers, policemen and gendarmes, which were thrown in mass actions against the guerrillas. The result is far from the desired - as the Red Army advances towards the Balkans even more people joined the resistance. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya NOVA grows as a significant military force. In the Tran, Rhodopes, Sredna gora regions the partisans were a constant threat to the government authorities. Tran (Трън, meaning " thorn " is a small town in Pernik Province, western Bulgaria. The Rhodopes (Родопи Rodopi, usually used with a definite article Родопите Rodopite, sometimes also called Родопа Rodopa or Родопа Sredna Gora (Средна гора is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range (Stara Planina and extending
Taking over the power
On the 2 September 1944 the pro-German government of Ivan Bagryanov stepped down threatened by the Red Army's advance towards Bulgaria's borders. Ivan Ivanov Bagrianov (Иван Иванов Багрянов (1891-1945 was a leading Bulgarian politician who briefly served as Prime Minister during the The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya A pro-Western government of the former legal opposition came to power. It ordered the army not to resist advancing Soviet forces, demanded that the Wehrmacht leave, broke the union with Germany and started negotiations with NOVA commander Dobri Terpeshev. The right wing Agrarians, who controlled the government, offered the FF some minister seats. In the meantime, the police and the army continued to pursue the partisans, unchecked by the civil power. Advancing Soviet troops gave the Communists self-confidence and they reject the right Agrarians' offer.
Between 6 and 9 September 1944 170 Bulgarian towns and villages were captured by the partisans. On the 9 September Terpeshev ordered all partisans to descend from the mountains and seize power in all of Bulgaria - '"All brigades, battalions and cheti of the people's liberation army are to capture the villages and towns and install FF committees in them"'. In Sofia, "Zveno" mobilised its influence in the military and strong army detachments, including the Tank brigade, sided with the FF and staged a coup in the night of 8/9 September.
Soon after FF's seizure of power the partisans became the first forces to resist the attempted return of the Wehrmacht in Bulgaria on its western and northwestern border. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Bulgarian partisans also participate in the liberation from Nazi occupation of some towns and villages in Serbia, Kosovo and Greece. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία After the 9 September and prior to Bulgaria's army joining the Allies' fight against the Axis, former partisans were placed on key positions in the Bulgarian military to ensure its loyalty. In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Former partisans also build up the new People's Militia, which replaced the Bulgarian police. They allegedly participated in mass retaliation which took the lives of thousands of former civil servants, policemen and gendarmes.
Partisan force's scale
The ultimate number of the partisans remains controversial. According to official historiography under Todor Zhivkov, the NOVA numbered around 30,000. Todor Hristov Zhivkov (Toдор Xpиcтoв Живков ˈtɔdɔr ˈxristɔf ˈʒifkɔf ( September 7, 1911 &ndash August 5, 1998) was a A post-democratic changes research points out a number around 9,900. At the eve of the seizure of power by the FF, the functioning partisan units were one partisan division, 9 partisan brigades, 37 partisan detachments and an unknown number of cheti and combat groups. In the clashes with government and German forces and as a result of torture and executions 9140 partisans and 20 070 yatatsi died between 1941 and 1944. 1590 people were sentenced to death for revolutionary activity.
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