Boris Stoyanov Drangov ( bg, Борис Стоянов Дрангов; 15 March 1872–26 May 1917) was a

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and

warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regul ...

pedagogue. Drangov was born in

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...

in Ottoman-ruled Macedonia (today the capital of

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

), to the family of a rich timber merchant. He graduated from the local Bulgarian Exarchate school or the

Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki The Sts. Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki ( bg, Солунска българска мъжка гимназия „Св. св. Кирил и Методий“, ''Solunska balgarska mazhka gimnazia „Sv. sv. Kiril i ...

. In 1891, he enrolled in the

Military School A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

in the Principality of Bulgaria. After a conflict with an officer, he was dispatched to Lom in 1894; in the town, Drangov met his future wife (also from Macedonia) and was promoted to second lieutenant in 1895. In 1899, he became a first lieutenant. During the

Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising, or simply the Ilinden Uprising of August–October 1903 ( bg, Илинденско-Преображенско въстание, Ilindensko-Preobrazhensko vastanie; mk, Илинденско востание, ...

of 1903, Drangov left the

Bulgarian Army The Bulgarian Land Forces ( bg, Сухопътни войски на България, Sukhopŭtni voĭski na Bŭlgariya, lit=Ground Forces of Bulgaria) are the ground warfare branch of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. The Land Forces were establishe ...

to arrive in Macedonia. There, he assembled an armed detachment of 120 men which fought the Ottomans in the Kratovo region. After the uprising's suppression, Drangov returned to the army and was promoted to rotmistar (cavalry captain). He studied at the Imperial Russian General Staff Academy in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

; he graduated with honours in 1907 and returned to Bulgarian service. Promoted to major in 1910, he became a lecturer of military tactics at the Military School in Sofia. During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

of 1912–1913, Drangov headed a brigade on the Thracian front, defeating the Ottomans at

Çatalca Çatalca (Metrae; ) is a city and a rural district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the largest district in Istanbul by area. It is in East Thrace, on the ridge between the Marmara and the Black Sea. Most people living in Çatalca are either farmers o ...

and during the Siege of Adrianople. During the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

, Drangov fought the Serbs at Bublyak Peak. In February 1915, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. With the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Drangov was named as the head of a regiment consisting mainly of untrained Macedonian Bulgarian volunteers. Under his training, the regiment turned into an efficient unit and fought at Kalimanci,

Kočani Kočani ( mk, Кочани ) is a town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, situated around east from Skopje. It has a population of 28,330 and is the seat of the Kočani Municipality. Geography and population The town spreads across the Nor ...

and

Štip Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the city ...

. He also fought at the

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

n front in

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...

before he was dispatched back to Macedonia, where his unit guarded the River Crna meander. He was wounded during artillery shelling on 26 May 1917 and died of his wounds the same evening. Boris Drangov was interred in the Saint Demetrius Church's yard in Skopje. His remains were later moved by the Serbian authorities to a common cemetery. Drangov was posthumously promoted to colonel by the Bulgarian Army.

Honours

Three villages in Bulgaria bear Boris Drangov's name: Drangovo, Kardzhali Province, Drangovo, Blagoevgrad Province and Drangovo, Plovdiv Province.

Drangov Peak Drangov Peak ( bg, Дрангов връх, Drangov vrah, ) is a peak rising to 430 m in the southeast extremity of Breznik Heights on Greenwich Island, Antarctica. Situated 360 m southeast of Vratsa Peak, 1.45 km east by south of the hig ...

in the Breznik Heights on

Greenwich Island Greenwich Island (variant historical names ''Sartorius Island'', ''Berezina Island'') is an island long and from (average ) wide, lying between Robert Island and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Surface area . The name Greenwic ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

, was also named after him.Drangov Peak.
SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica

References

* Шишков, К., ''Полковник Борис Дрангов — избрани произведения'', Военно издателство, София, 1985. * Шишков, К., ''Преподавателят майор Борис Дрангов.'', „Военнисторически сборник“, 1985, № 5. * Недев, Светлозар, ''Командването на българската войска през войните за национално обединение'', Военноиздателски комплекс „Свети Георги Победоносец“, София, 1993, стр. 181. * ''Борис Дрангов. Сборник материали и научни изследвания''. София, 1993. * Карнфилов, Ефрем. ''Борис Дрангов'' в: Ефрем Каранфилов, „Българи“, София, 1980. * Узунов, Христо. ''Полковник Борис Дрангов'', „Армейски преглед“, 1986, №10.
Sega newspaper of 8 November 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drangov, Boris 1872 births 1917 deaths Military personnel from Skopje Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Bulgarian military personnel of World War I Bulgarian military personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Order of Bravery Bulgarian revolutionaries Macedonian Bulgarians Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki alumni