Vladimir Minchev Vazov ( bg, Владимир Минчев Вазов) (14 May 1868 – 20 May 1945) was a
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
n officer. He led the Bulgarian forces during the
successful defensive operation at Dojran during the
First World War
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 ...
.
Biography
Vladimir Vazov was born on 14 May 1868 to Mincho Vazov and Suba Hadjinikolova. His brothers were the writer
Ivan Vazov
Ivan Minchov Vazov ( bg, Иван Минчов Вазов; – 22 September 1921) was a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of ...
, the officer
Georgi Vazov
Georgi Minchov Vazov was a Bulgarian and Russian officer and Minister of War. He was one of the main organizers of the 1886 Bulgarian coup d'état, aimed at the dethronement of Prince Alexander Battenberg. During the First Balkan War, he comm ...
and the politician
Boris Vazov.
In 1886 Vladimir Vazov entered the Military School in
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 ha ...
. After he graduated in 1888 he was assigned as a second lieutenant to the 5th artillery regiment in
Shumen
Shumen ( bg, Шумен, also romanized as ''Shoumen'' or ''Šumen'', ) is the tenth largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and economic capital of Shumen Province.
Etymology
The city was first mentioned as ''Šimeonis'' in 1153 by t ...
.
On 18 May 1890 Vladimir was promoted to
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
and continued his specialization in
Hessen
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darm ...
, Germany. On 2 August 1894 he received the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and in 1896 was transferred to the 4th Artillery Regiment in
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 ha ...
and served as the commander of an artillery battery. During 1902 and 1903 he attended Artillery School in
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the cen ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. In 1904 Vladimir was part of a special Bulgarian delegation which visited
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to assess the capabilities of their newest artillery equipment and choose a supplier for 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 established ...
. On 17 February 1906 the
minister of war
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
decreed the establishment of a special Artillery School in
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 ha ...
and Vladimir Vazov was assigned as its
assistant principal
In larger school systems, a head teacher principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal, deputy principal, or assistant/associate principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making authorit ...
. On 31 December 1906 he was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
. In 1909 he was the commander of an artillery section in the 4th Artillery Regiment but was soon made a
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
commander.
Balkan Wars
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 ...
Vladimir Vazov served as commander of the 4th
Quick-Firing Artillery Regiment of the 1st Sofia Infantry Division. When war was declared on 5 October 1912 some 21 officers and 1168 soldiers were serving in his regiment.
On 9 October Vazov fought around the village of
Geçkinli where the Bulgarians defeated the Ottomans despite the latter's sizable numerical advantage. After that he took part in the
Battle of Kirk Kilisse
The Battle of Kirk Kilisse or Battle of Kirkkilise or Battle of Lozengrad was part of the First Balkan War between the armies of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. It took place on 24 October 1912, when the Bulgarian army defeated an Ottoman army ...
and later fought in the
First Battle of Çatalca
The First Battle of Çatalca was one of the heaviest battles of the First Balkan War fought between . It was initiated as an attempt of the combined Bulgarian First and Third armies, under the overall command of lieutenant general Radko Dimitriev ...
.
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 ...
Vladimir retained the command of his regiment and participated in the fighting around
Tsaribrod
Dimitrovgrad ( sr-cyr, Димитровград) alternatively Caribrod ( bg, Цариброд, Tsaribrod) is a town and municipality located in the Pirot District of southeastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the municipality of Dimitrovgrad ...
,
Pirot
Pirot ( sr-cyr, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 38,785, while the population of the city administrative area ...
, Bubliak and Gradoman.
First World War
By August 1915
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Vazov was serving as commander of the 5th Division's artillery brigade.
[Вазов. Животописни бележки p. 11] In October of the same year the division was subordinated to the
Bulgarian 2nd Army which was conducting operations against the Serbians in
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 ...
. Here the lieutenant-colonel and his brigade took part in the heavy fighting around the town of
Gnjilane
Gjilan, or Gnjilane ( sr-cyr, Гњилане) is the eighth largest city in Kosovo and seat of Gjilan Municipality and Gjilan District.
Name
Ottoman chronicler Evliya Çelebi mentions ''Morava'' as a settlement of the Sanjak of Vučitrn. ...
, during the
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...
. With the final defeat of the Serbian army in November the 5th Division was turned south to face the French forces advancing up the river
Vardar
The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
. On 28 November Vazov was severely
wounded and forced to take leave from active frontal duties during the next several months.
Soon afterwards he was promoted to
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 of ...
.
In 1916 he was made commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 5th Division and successfully led it in action against Allies during their
Autumn Offensive on the
Macedonian front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...
.
On 1 March 1917 he took the command of the 9th Pleven Infantry Division which was part of the
First Bulgarian Army. Beginning in 1916 the division occupied a stretch of the
Macedonian front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...
between the river
Vardar
The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
and lake
Dojran
Dojran ( mk, Дојран ) was a city on the west shore of Lake Dojran in the southeast part of North Macedonia. Today, it is a collective name for two villages on the territory of the ruined city: Nov Dojran (New Dojran, settled from the end o ...
.
As soon as he was appointed he inspected the entire section of the front that was under his command and took measures to strengthen and fortify it. Under his guidance the forced were deployed in order to create a
defence in depth
Defence in depth (also known as deep defence or elastic defence) is a military strategy that seeks to delay rather than prevent the advance of an attacker, buying time and causing additional casualties by yielding space. Rather than defeating ...
.
His efforts to improve the positions were soon tested during the
Second Battle of Doiran between 22 and 26 April 1917. Some 86 heavy and 74 field British guns bombarded the line with more than 100,000 shells but caused insignificant damage and the following infantry attack suffered a heavy defeat. In early May, the British resumed their assault but were again defeated and suffered heavy casualties. Following this attack the Bulgarian 34th Troyan Regiment alone buried the bodies of some 2,290 Allied officers and soldiers. Due to his significant contribution for the victory on 20 May 1917, Vladimir Vazov was promoted to
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
.
![Vladimir Vazov (1915-1918)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Vladimir_Vazov_%281915-1918%29.jpg)
The location of the Doiran Sector was crucial as it represented the shortest possible route to the valley of the
Vardar
The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
and during the summer of 1918 its defence was expanded to consist of 4 lines arrayed in depth. Hence it was much better prepared to face an attack than the previous year.
When the Allied
Vardar Offensive began, the British and two Greek divisions once again attacked the 9th Pleven Division at Doiran. During this
Third Battle of Doiran the Allies once again enjoyed significant advantage in firepower and manpower, being able to bombard the Bulgarian position with over 300,000 ordinary and gas shells. Despite this, the damage to the fortifications was limited and the fighting again resulted in a decisive Bulgarian victory. According to official British sources the Allied losses totalled just over 7,000. Bulgarian sources however, report a figure of over 11,000. The Bulgarian and German commanders on the
Macedonian front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...
were not able to fully use the results of the decisive victory at Doiran to their advantage and Bulgaria signed an armistice on 29 September 1918 thus ending its participation in the
First World War
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 ...
.
1920s and 1930s
On 24 February 1920 lieutenant-general Vazov went into the reserve. In 1926 he became mayor of
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 ha ...
. During his mandate (until 1932) the fire department was reformed, the electrical network expanded, and the public transport improved. Sofia became one of the “greenest” capitals in Europe.
Among the most notable moments of Vladimir Vazov’s life was his visit to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1936. The
British legion celebrated the British victory in
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 ...
. The British veterans invited one of their worthiest opponents on the battlefield. He was personally greeted by
Lord Milne, who shook his hand with the words "It is a pleasure to meet the Bulgarian delegation, as even though we were enemies, you – like us – fought not only like brave men, but also like gentlemen." The British paid great honour to General Vazov as they lowered their national flags in his name. The chairman of the British legion Major Goldy said in his speech: “He is one of the few foreign officers whose name features in our history”.
Lieutenant-General Vladimir Vazov was banished by the communist authorities after September 9, 1944 in the village of
Ribaritsa (near
Lovech
Lovech ( bg, Ловеч, Lovech, ) is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast f ...
), where he died in deep poverty on May 20, 1945.
See also
*
List of Bulgarian generals in the Kingdom of Bulgaria
This is a list of Bulgarian generals from the period of the Principality of Bulgaria, Principality (1878–1908) and Kingdom of Bulgaria, Kingdom (1908–1946). The year each became a general is given in parentheses.
List A
*Abadzhiev, Georgi ...
References
External links
General Vazov in the Great Bulgarians list
Sources
*
Gen. Vladimir Vazov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vazov, Vladimir
1868 births
1945 deaths
People from Sopot, Plovdiv Province
Bulgarian generals
Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars
Bulgarian military personnel of World War I
Mayors of Sofia
Recipients of the Order of Bravery
Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria)
Recipients of the Liakat Medal
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Bulgaria