Marinov, Ivan (commander)

The son of Major General Krystu Marinov, the hero of the 2nd Balkan War . He graduated from the First Gymnasium in Sofia, Military School ( 1915 ). He specialized in France ( 1924 - 1925 ) and in Italy ( 1932 - 1933 ). He graduated from the Military Academy in Sofia ( 1930 ).

• In 1912 - 1913 , during the Balkan Wars, he served as a volunteer in the 1st cavalry regiment.
• In 1913-1915 he studied at the Military School, then participated in the First World War .
• In 1916 - platoon commander in the 15th Infantry Regiment.
• In 1917 - 1918 - a pilot in the 2nd airborne squad.
• Then he served in the 21st border section and in the gendarmerie, later (until 1927 ) he was a pilot in an aviation group stationed at Bozhurishche airfield. In 1927 joined the Military Union.
• In 1927-1930 he studied at the Military Academy.
• In 1930, he again served in the aviation group.
• In 1931 - an officer in the General Staff.
• In 1931 - the head of the balloon group.
• In 1931-1933 - commander of an aviation group.
• In 1934 - head of the Military Technical Service.
• In 1934-1935 - inspector of classes at the Military School.
• In 1935-1936 - head of the intelligence department of the General Staff.
• In 1936-1939 - military attache in France.
• In August-October 1939 - Chief of Staff of the 3rd Army.
• In 1939-1940 - head of the procurement department at the Directorate of Civil Mobilization.
• From November 1, 1940 to June 12, 1942 - commander of the 6th Bdinsk Infantry Division.
• From June 18, 1942 to September 3, 1944 - commander of the 15th Ohrid Infantry Division.

On September 2, 1944, General Ivan Marinov was appointed Minister of War in the new government of the country, formed by Konstantin Muraviev and composed of anti-Nazi liberal politicians oriented to the West and previously opposed to the ruling regime. For the USSR , which sought to establish control over Bulgaria, such a composition of the government was politically unacceptable. On September 5, the USSR declared war on Bulgaria based on the fact that the new government was not taking any real steps against Germany . However, a few hours before the Bulgarian government decided to declare war on Germany, but General Marinov insisted on postponing it for 72 hours, citing military considerations.

When the pro-Soviet forces came to power on September 9, 1944, Marin gave orders to the military units not to resist and comply with all the instructions of the new government, neutralized the commanders of the units loyal to the government, ensuring the victory of the Patriotic Front. The Bulgarian historian M. Minchev called him a “Trojan horse” in the government of Muraviev. After the overthrow of the Muraviev government, General Marinov was his only member, who continued his career under the new regime.

On September 9, 1944, General Marinov was appointed commander in chief of the Bulgarian army, exercising general leadership of its actions against German troops. On June 12, 1945 he became the chief inspector of the army and the chief of combat training. In January 1945, regardless of his leading position in the ruling Patriotic Front in Bulgaria, Ivan Marinov was charged as a war criminal in Greece, the Greek government requested his extradition to the court in Athens, on official charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, against the Greek people together with the German and Italian military as the military commander of the Bulgarian 15th Infantry Division of Ohrid 1942-1944, which occupied Macedonia. Although the division under the command of Marinov occupied the territory of Macedonia, which is located on the territory of Yugoslavia, and not the Aegean Macedonia, which belongs to Greece (in which there were German and Italian troops, and not the Bulgarian), along with Marinov, he was accused of the same crimes by the adjutant major Dr. Bangiev who was mobilized by an officer from the army reserve. With the help of the Government of the Patriotic Front and the Soviet commander in chief, headed by Fedor Tolbukhin and Sergey Biryuzov, the intelligence department at the army headquarters, known as RA, began an operation to rescue Marinov, his Macedonian lawyer Stoyan Boyadzhiev , who had contact with General Oxley, the British representative in Allied management commissions in the armistice with Bulgaria, which is associated with the British team in Greece, agreed not to issue a death sentence, regarding the situation of the Bulgarian criminal Committee was established to protect the Bulgarian war in Greece, which is headed by lawyer stood Boyadzhiev and Marina delicately not transferred to Greece, given its position at the senior command positions in the Bulgarian People's Army, and while the February 28, 1946, he became Minister of Bulgaria in Paris while his assistant Major Bangiev and other defendants, as war criminals were extradited to Greece and although the first British pressure on the Greeks was not issued a prison sentence, but a new Greek court in which Bulgarian war crimes iki were sentenced to death and executed in 1946. February 28, 1946 was transferred to the reserve in connection with the transition to the diplomatic service.

In 1946-1947 he was plenipotentiary minister (envoy) in France; he was preparing the conclusion of the Bulgarian-French agreement. In 1947-1950 - Minister Plenipotentiary in the central apparatus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1950-1953 he was a teacher of the history of military art at the Military Academy. October 1, 1953 was again discharged to the reserve. In 1963-1979 - Chairman of the Military Historical Scientific Society.

• Since March 12, 1916 - second lieutenant;
• Since October 14, 1917 - lieutenant;
• Since January 30, 1923 - captain;
• From October 31, 1930 - major;
• Since August 26, 1934 - lieutenant colonel;
• Since October 3, 1938 - Colonel;
• Since May 6, 1943 - Major General;
• Since November 18, 1944 - lieutenant general.

• Order "For Courage" 3rd degree, 1st grade and 4th degree, 2nd grade.
• Order of Military Merit, 2nd degree.
• Order "People's Republic of Bulgaria" 1st degree.
• Order of Suvorov 1st degree ( USSR ).

Author of military-theoretical and military-historical works, including “Retreat of the 4th Army from Bregalnitsa 1913” (1930), “Characterization of our industry in peacetime in connection with the needs of the war. The draft plan for the mobilization of our industry ”(1931),“ Pan-European War. Eastern (Russian) military theater (1914-1918) ”(1934),“ Air war tactics ”(1935),“ History of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War of the USSR. World War II Bulgaria. Lectures given at the Military Academy ”( 1951 ).

He published articles in the editions of Narodnaya Otbrana ( 1929-1935 ); "Military Journal" (1931-1935); The Artillery Barrier (1932); "News on the Military Historical and Scientific Friendship" ( 1966 - 1972 ); "Military Historical Collection" ( 1967 ). In 1968 - 1969 he published in the publication “Historically Progress” the articles “Five Days in the Government of K. Muraviev” and “The Bulgarian Army and Our Socialist Revolution”.

• Bulgaria in the 20th century. Essays on political history. M., 2003.S. 293, 296.
• newspaper "Macedonia", March 10, 1999

• Biography (Bulgarian)
• Biography