Dimitar Spisarevski ( bg, Димитър Списаревски) (19 July 1916 – 20 December 1943) 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 ...

fighter pilot known for taking down an American bomber by

ramming In warfare, ramming is a technique used in air, sea, and land combat. The term originated from battering ram, a siege weapon used to bring down fortifications by hitting it with the force of the ram's momentum, and ultimately from male sheep. Thus, ...

it during the

bombing of Sofia in World War II The Bulgarian capital of Sofia suffered a series of Allied bombing raids during World War II, from mid 1941 to early 1944. Bulgaria declared war on the United Kingdom and the United States on 13 December 1941. The Southern Italy-based Allied a ...

. Born in Dobrich on 19 July 1916, Spisarevski moved with his family after the post-

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 ...

Treaty of Neuilly The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (french: Traité de Neuilly-sur-Seine) required Bulgaria to cede various territories, after Bulgaria had been one of the Central Powers defeated in World War I. The treaty was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly ...

ceded the city to

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 ...

, consecutively living in Lom,

Belogradchik Belogradchik ( bg, Белоградчик ) is a town in Vidin Province, Northwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of the homonymous Belogradchik Municipality. The town, whose name literally means "small white town," is situated in the fo ...

and

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 ...

. Spisarevski entered His Majesty's Military School, but was subsequently expelled and went to serve in

Yambol Yambol ( bg, Ямбол ) is a town in Southeastern Bulgaria and administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha river in the historical region of Thrace. It is occasionally spelled ''Jambol''. Yambol is the ad ...

. Due to his excellent conduct, he was called back as a cadet to the school. When a pilot contest was announced, he was among the first candidates for the new subject. Later, he went on to study in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, where he graduated from the fighter pilot school in

Werneuchen Werneuchen () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, in the district of Barnim northeast of Berlin within the metropolitan area. Most of the population of Werneuchen commutes to Berlin. Demography File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Werneuchen.pdf, Dev ...

in 1938. In the summer of 1943, he was sent to the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

with another Bulgarian pilot to observe the German pilots and master aerial warfare tactics. On 20 December 1943, a group of 200 American B-24 Liberator bombers and fighter planes headed to Sofia in order to bomb the Bulgarian capital once again. 36 Bulgarian airplanes took off in order to intercept the bombers before they reached Sofia. Spisarevski was one of the Bulgarian Air Force's Messerschmitt Ме-109G-2 pilots on duty in Bozhurishte who were sent to intercept the bombers before they could reach the city. According to the battle log of the 3/6 fighter wing, of which Spisarevski was part, the battle went the following way: the American B-24 aircraft flew towards

in V-shaped formations of three, echeloned in a long rear column. The Bulgarians formed an opposing battle row, echeloned in squadrons of four in a rear column, at 6,000 m. The wing had the task to engage the enemy

P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...

fighters while at the same time the other wing, 2/6, would hit the bombers and force them to release their bombs outside the city. Flying Officer Spisarevski's aircraft failed to start and he took off in a reserve plane with some delay in what would be his first and only aerial battle. When he reached the bombers, the battle had already begun. Spisarevski evaded two American fighters, headed to a group of 16 Liberators and, without ceasing fire, crashed into the leading bomber. The bomber split in mid-air and only the tail gunner survived. Spisarevski's machine crashed at the heights near the village of Pasarel close to Sofia. His body was found among the debris. The hit American bomber crashed on the other side of the village. For the taking down of a four-engine bomber, he was credited posthumously with three aerial victories and promoted to the rank of captain. Spisarevski was buried in the

Central Sofia Cemetery The Central Sofia Cemetery ( bg, Централни софийски гробища, ''Tsentralni sofiyski grobishta'') or the Orlandovtsi Cemetery ("Орландовци") is the main cemetery in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The cemetery has ...

, in the Walk of Pilots.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spisarevski, Dimitar Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents World War II pilots Bulgarian Air Force personnel Bulgarian military personnel killed in action 1916 births 1943 deaths Suicides in Bulgaria Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Bulgaria People from Dobrich Recipients of the Order of Bravery Burials at Central Sofia Cemetery Bulgarian World War II flying aces 20th-century Bulgarian military personnel Pilots who performed an aerial ramming Military personnel killed in World War II