Todor Dimitrov Kantardzhiev (10 February 1861 – 4 January 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 Macedo ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and doctor.

Biography

Todor Kantardzhiev was born on 10 February 1861 in

Samokov Samokov ( bg, Самоков ) is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a basin between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia. Due to the suitable winter sports conditions, Sam ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

(Now modern

) and died on 4 January 1945. On 20 June 1878, he enlisted in military service. In 1884, he graduated from

Vasil Levski National Military University , mottoeng = , established = 26 November 1878 , endowment = , rector = Brigadier-General Ivan Georgiev Malamov , vice_chancellor = , city = Veliko Tarnovo , state = , country = Bulgaria , students = , undergrad = , postgrad = , other = , ...

in Sofia on 30 August and was promoted to leytenant. Afterwards he was assigned to the 1st Infantry Battalion Sofia.

War career

The Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885)

Kandardzhiev commanded the 14th company of the 1st Infantry Battalion Sofia throughout the

Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War ( bg, Сръбско-българска война, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', sr, Српско-бугарски рат, ''Srpsko-bugarski rat'') was a war between the Kingdom of Ser ...

. With his regiment he participated in the defense of Slivnitsa and the Battle of Pirot. After the war ended he was awarded the Order of Courage IV Grade 2 class. On 30 August 1886, he was promoted to Starshy leytenant. He later commanded the 16th Infantry Regiment the same year. In 1889 he was promoted to

Kapitan Capitan and Kapitan are equivalents of the English Captain in other European languages. Capitan, Capitano, and Kapitan may also refer to: Places in the United States *Capitan, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Capitan, New Mexico, a villag ...

. In 1893 he graduated from a military academy in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. After his return to Bulgaria he was promoted to

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

in 1894 then to the rank of

Podpolkovnik ''Podpolkovnik'' (russian: подполко́вник, lit=sub –, junior – , or lower regimentary) is a military rank in Slavic and nearby countries which corresponds to the lieutenant colonel in the English-speaking states and military. ...

in 1899. In 1901 he became the former Chief of Staff in the 1st Infantry Division and then became a teacher in military school. Though Todor Kantardzhiev's military career continued - on 2 August 1903 he was promoted to

Polkovnik ''Polkovnik'' (russian: полковник, lit=regimentary; pl, pułkownik) is a military rank used mostly in Slavic-speaking countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states and oberst in several German-speaking and Scandin ...

. In 1904, he commanded the 1st Brigade and the 9th Infantry Division in Pleven, and from 1909 he commanded the 2nd Brigade and the 2nd Infantry Division in

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...

for a little while.

The Balkan Wars (1912-13)

During the

Balkan War The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defea ...

Kantardzhiev commanded the 1st brigade of the 6th " Bdin" Infantry Division ( bg) and participated in the battles of Kirk Kilisse,

Lule Burgas Lule may refer to: * Lule people, an indigenous people of northern Argentina * Lule language, a possibly extinct language of Argentina * Lule Sami language, a language spoken in Sweden and Norway * Luleå, also known as Lule, a town in Sweden * Lu ...

and

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 ...

. 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 ...

, it fought at the Macedonian Military Theater - at Strumica, Pechchevo, and Mount

Ruen Ruen ( bg, Руен, ; tr, Ulanlı) is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Burgas Province. It is the administrative centre of Ruen municipality, which lies in the northern part of Burgas Province. Municipality Ruen municipality include ...

. After the war, Colonel Kantardzhiev commanded the 5th Infantry Division from 1913 to 1914, then on 14 February 1914 he was promoted to General-mayor.

World War I

At the beginning of the First World War Kantardzhiev was re-mobilized and in September 1915 and was appointed Chief of the rear management of the Third Bulgarian Army. In 1916 he became head of the Varna Fortress. On August 27, 1916, Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary, for its part, Bulgaria, as an ally, declares war on Romania on September 1, 1916. With the units it collected, Kantardzhiev formed the right wing of the 3rd Army which later became the basis of the newly formed Combined Division. Under his command, the division conducted multiple military operations at the mouth of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

. It became famous for the release of Dobrich from

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 occupation.Telegram text on the successes in Dobrich: "Telegram. (Dobrich, September 7, 1916) Our valiant troops subsequently destroyed the Romanian infantry and the Russian cavalry that day, and yesterday the Russian infantry broke down. The chief of Varna, eneral Major Kantardzhiev fortified the point." Following the surrender of

in 1917, him and his unit were stationed on the Macedonian Front.

Military Promotion History

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

(1878) *

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

(1878) * NCO (1879) * Feldfebel (1879) * Second Lieutenant (30 August 1884) *

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 ...

(August 30, 1886) * Captain (1889) * Major (1894) * Lieutenant Colonel (1899) *

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 ...

(2 August 1903) *

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 ...

(February 14, 1914) *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(15 August 1917)

Awards

* Military Order "For Bravery" IV grade 2 nd grade * Military Order of Courage Grade III Grade 1 (World War I) * Iron Cross II class (World War I) * Iron Cross 1st Class (World War I) * Military Merit Order, Class II, with military decoration, Austro-Hungary (World War I) * Likat Order, Ottoman Empire (World War I) * Iron Crescent Order, Ottoman Empire (World War I) * The Order of St. Alexander “Grade III with swords and Grade IV without swords * People's Order " For Military Merit " Grade III with Military Distinction * People's Order of Military Merit I degree with military honors * Medal of Merit , Ottoman Empire (May 11, 1917)

Notes

Sources

* Kantardzhiev, T., The Dobrich Epic, Sofia, 1926. 224 p., 1 k. * Nedev, S., The Command of the Bulgarian Army during the National Unity Wars, Sofia, 1993, Military Publishing Complex "St. Georgi Pobedonosets", pp. 173 - 174 * Stefan Stefanov. "From Slivnitsa to Serret, from sergeant to commander" * Rumenin, Rumen. Officers Corps in Bulgaria 1878 - 1944 Vol. 3 and 4. Sofia, Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense "St. George the Winner", 1996. * Yotov, Petko, Dobrev, Angel, Milenov, Blagoy. The Bulgarian Army in the First World War (1915 - 1918): A brief encyclopedic reference book. Sofia, St. George the Winner, 1995.