Unlike the Russian Federation and other former republics of the USSR and the European Union, Bulgaria does not celebrate Victory Day on May 9, but Europe Day, practically not honoring those tens of thousands of their compatriots who died in the struggle against fascism in the last year of the war. This article describes the dramatic and controversial participation of Bulgaria in the Second World War.
Union with the Third Reich
It is well known that Bulgaria supported the Nazi Reich in World War II. Cooperation of the Bulgarian government with Germany began in the 30s of the last century. Then the Germans systematically armed the Bulgarian army. Also, the Nazis began to re-equip the Bulgarian ports of Burgas and Varna to place their Navy there. Already in the winter of 1940-1941, a specialized Luftwaffe group went to Bulgaria, whose main task was to prepare Bulgarian airfields for landing of German aircraft on them. Simultaneously with this process, the construction of new modern airfields began. Over time, a special transport service was founded in Sofia and 25 transport communications facilities were built, which were taken under guard by German soldiers, albeit wearing military uniforms in Bulgaria.
Contradictory Aspect of Collaboration
At the very beginning of 1941, the Fuhrer was counting on the seizure of Yugoslavia and Greece, and for the implementation of these plans he simply needed to have Bulgarian territory under control, as a bridgehead for the invasion. It is this fact that modern Bulgarian historians present as a dilemma that confronted Tsar Boris the Third. He had two options: either subject the country to war, or voluntarily let in Nazi armies. Therefore, Bulgaria in the Second World War actually became a victim of the provocative policies of the Third Reich.
Bulgaria and the Berlin Pact
As you know, the Bulgarian Tsar Boris had diplomatic flexibility, so he chose a voluntary union. In the spring of 1941, Bulgaria signed the Berlin Pact, which was also called the “Berlin-Rome-Tokyo”. A month later, German troops marched through the country and invaded Greece and Yugoslavia, while the Bulgarian army also took part in the expansion. Thus, Bulgaria entered the Second World War. For this, Hitler rewarded it with part of Macedonia, Northern Greece and Serbia. Naturally, it was a fiction. Thus, by the end of April 1941, the territory of the Bulgarian state had increased almost one and a half times, and Boris III announced the creation of “Great Bulgaria” and the unification of the whole people in a single state, again a fictitious one. Of course, all socio-economic processes were controlled from Berlin.
Being an ally of Nazi Germany, Bulgaria was not hostile to many countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, there were even diplomatic relations with the USSR. So, the Bulgarian capital contained embassies of all sides of the confrontation, therefore Sofia was called the “capital of espionage” during the war years.
Entry into the war
After Nazi Germany attacked the USSR on June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler persistently demanded that the Bulgarian Tsar send military units to the Eastern Theater of War. But the prudent Boris, fearing unrest in society, refused such demands. That is, Bulgaria during the Second World War practically did not fight against the Soviet Union. Officially, Bulgaria entered the fighting in mid-December 1941, when, according to Nazi requirements, it declared war on the anti-Hitler coalition. Boris III allowed the Germans to use all of the country's economic resources, and also took discriminatory measures against Bulgarian Jews, who were very numerous in the country. These actions were terrible in their consequences.
Anti-fascist resistance
In 1941-1943, the Bulgarian anti-fascists and socialists entered into a fierce struggle in the German rear, and organized a resistance movement. In 1942, the Patriotic Front of anti-fascist resistance was formed. And the offensive of the Red Army on the Eastern Front further inspired the anti-fascist movement. In 1943, the Workers' Party of Bulgaria created a rebel army, the number of which was constantly growing, and by the end of the war there were 30 thousand partisans. Bulgaria in the Second World War, as a state, was an ally of the Reich, but many Bulgarians did not recognize this vile alliance.
Attempts to break the Bulgarian-German Union
When the German Reich began to suffer its first defeats on the Eastern Front, the Bulgarian tsar began to attempt to break off the shameful alliance with A. Hitler, but died in August 1943, after a diplomatic meeting with the Fuhrer. Meanwhile, the Bulgarian government council, which ruled on behalf of the son of Boris III - Simeon, began only to follow the pro-German course, showing the most “cute” policy towards the anti-human regime.
Ineffective neutrality
The victory of Soviet troops near Stalingrad and their subsequent offensives, which brought Germany many military defeats, as well as the bombing of Sofia by the US and British air forces, provoked a government coup in July 1944. The new authorities made attempts to bring peace to the Bulgarian lands, asking for peace from the USSR and allies. At the end of August 1944, the authorities declared the complete neutrality of Bulgaria and issued an ultimatum to the German troops to leave the country. But all the attempts came to naught. Germany did not comply with any requirements, and peace negotiations failed. The new government has resigned. On September 2, 1944, a new government was formed, which worked for only a few days, as Soviet troops crossed the Bulgarian border.
Since Bulgaria during the Second World War had the status of an ally of the Third Reich, the Soviet Union declared war on September 5, 1944, and on September 8, the Red Army entered the country. An interesting fact is that on that very day, Bulgaria declared war on Nazi Germany, and found herself in a state of hostilities both against the former allies and against the anti-Hitler coalition. But the very next day, another coup d'etat took place in the country, as a result of which the Patriotic Front came to power, and at the end of October 1944 a cease-fire was signed in Moscow.
Bulgaria's participation in the war against Germany
In early autumn 1944, 3 combat-ready armies were formed in Bulgaria, with a total number of about 500 thousand people. The first military clashes between the Nazis and the Bulgarian forces were in Serbia, where supporters of the German regime fought and opposed Hitler, his former allies were Bulgarians.
Within a month, the troops were able to get the first military successes, they quickly occupied Macedonia and some parts of Serbia. After the first Bulgarian army (about 140 thousand people) was transferred to the region of Hungary, where in March 1945, together with the Red Army, took part in fierce battles near Lake Balaton, where German tank units made a confident attempt at counter-offensive operations.
Thus, Bulgaria in the Second World War took a controversial and expectant position, for which one can condemn, but it can also be encouraged. Moreover, the inhabitants of the country organized a significant anti-fascist resistance. And Bulgaria after the Second World War became an ally of the USSR.