Brannik (Bulgarian: Бранник; Defenders - English translation) was a Bulgarian pro-fascist

youth organization The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for Minor (law), minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted othe ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The "Brannik" organization was founded on the initiative of the then prime minister prof.

Bogdan Filov Bogdan Dimitrov Filov ( bg, Богдан Димитров Филов; 10 April 1883 – 1 February 1945) was a Bulgarian archaeologist, art historian and politician. He was prime minister of Bulgaria during World War II. During his tenure, Bulga ...

at the XXV National Youth Meeting on December 29, 1940. It was modeled on the Nazi

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

. Her motto was: "Boris, Bulgaria, God!" (Bulgarian: „Борис, България, Бог!“) The armbands worn on uniforms and on the banners had the letter "B" on them. The organization was closely related with the Bulgarian authorities and

Tsar Boris III Boris III ( bg, Борѝс III ; Boris Treti; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier) , was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until hi ...

personally. Organizationally, it was divided into 3 structures: for children from 10 to 14 years, for the younger part of the youth from 14 to 16 years and for older youths from 16 to 21 years. The youth were concentrated in teams (boys) and wreaths (girls), and above were the chetas (40-50 people). From April 1941, i.e. the liberation of parts of the territory of Yugoslavia by the Bulgarian army, it also included representatives of liberated

Vardar Macedonia Vardar Macedonia ( Macedonian and sr, Вардарска Македонија, ''Vardarska Makedonija'') was the name given to the territory of the Kingdom of Serbia (1912–1918) and Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) roughly corresponding to t ...

. In 1942, members of the

Bulgarian Red Cross The Bulgarian Red Cross, or BRC, was established in 1878 after the liberation of the Principality of Bulgaria and the region of Eastern Rumelia from the Ottoman Empire. The first BRC organization was established in May 1878 in Sofia. The regional ...

joined the "Brannik". The organization became mass, reaching a population of approx. 450 thousand. members. On September 9, 1944, after Bulgaria switched to the Allied side, specifically the Soviet one, "Brannik" was outlawed as a fascist organization. Many members were sentenced or repressed in the post-war years by Communist authorities.

Hymn

Ний Бранници сме щедро надарени, с мощни и стоманени гърди. Българийо за тебе сме родени, Съдба велика Бог ни отреди. С младежки жар обичаме народа, сплотени сме край българския Цар. На свободата свята и свещена днес Бранникът е най-добър пазач. (х2) ''English translation:'' We, the Brannik, are generously gifted, with powerful and steel chests. Bulgaria, we were born for you, Great destiny God has ordained for us. With youthful zeal we love the people, we are united by the Bulgarian Tzar. Holy and sacred freedom today The defender is the best guard. (x2)

Ideology

The organization was a typical authoritarian entity, the creation of which was entirely the work of the government. It reported directly to the Prime Minister. It was characterized by pre-barracks physical and ideological training, including wearing uniforms and military training. He propagandized against communism, democracy, liberalism and Western plutocratic regimes.Поппетров, Н. (2009). Социално наляво, нацинализмът – напред: програмни и организационни документи на български авторитаристки националистически формации. София: Изд. „Гутенберг“, pp. 805–848. ISBN 978-954-617-060-6.

References

{{Fascism movement Far-right politics Nationalist organizations Political organizations based in Bulgaria Anti-communist organizations The Holocaust in Bulgaria Bulgarian nationalism Banned far-right parties Fascist organizations Youth organizations established in 1940