8th Infantry Division (Bulgaria)

Formation

The 8th division traces its history to the East Romanian police , created in 1879 and consisting of 12 battalions. After the accession of Eastern Rumelia to Bulgaria in 1885 , the battalions were consolidated into four regiments (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th), combined into two brigades (5th and 6th). In 1889 , four new regiments were deployed on their basis (21, 22, 23, 24). In 1891 - 1892 The 5th and 6th brigades were reorganized into the 2nd Thracian and 3rd Balkan divisions, respectively. The 2nd, 9th, 10th, 21st, and 22nd regiments entered the 2nd Division, and the 11th, 12th, 23rd, and 24th Regiments entered the 3rd. The divisions were divided by a line passing through East Rumelia ( Thrace ) from the northwest to the southeast.

In 1903 , the Bulgarian army was expanded by 12 new regiments, which allowed the creation of three new divisions. One of them was the 8th Tundjan, formed on December 30, 1903 by order No. 83 from part of the troops of the 2nd and 3rd divisions ^[1] . Its division area included the central part of Bulgarian Thrace with its center in Stara Zagora . Although the division was called “Tundzhan”, the river along which it was named flowed mainly through the territory of the 3rd division district.

The 8th division included the 10th Rhodope regiment ( Haskovo ) from the 2nd division, the 12th Balkan ( Stara Zagora ) and the 23rd Shipchensky ( Kazanlak ) regiments from the 3rd division, and also re-formed on the basis of 6th reserve 30th Sheinovsky regiment stationed in Tarnovo-Seymen . After the formation of the military inspection areas in Bulgaria in 1907, the 8th division, along with the 2nd and 3rd, became part of the 2nd military inspection area, covering the entire territory of the former East Rumelia.

First Balkan War

On the eve of the Balkan war, the division consisted of three brigades: 1st, 2nd and 3rd (51st and 52nd infantry regiments), as well as the 8th rapid-fire and 8th non-firing artillery regiments. During the Balkan War, the division was commanded by Major General Dimitar Kirkov . The division participated in the battle for the height of Kurt-Kale on October 5, 1912 , and during the siege of Adrianople, two brigades participated in battles in the southern sector. The 10th Rhodope and 23rd Shipkinsky regiments participated in the attack in the eastern sector, and the 12th Balkan regiment in battles in the southern sector.

World War I

During the First World War, the division participated in the battles as a unit of the 1st Army with the following composition and command: ^[2]

Commanders and composition

Division headquarters

• Division commanders: Major General Todor Mitov , Colonel Georgi Boshnakov , Major General Stefan Bogdanov
• Chief of Staff: Lt. Col. Nikola Yanakiev
• Division engineer, commander of the 8th sapper squad, military engineer: Colonel Angel Radoslavov
• Division physician, nurse: Colonel Emanuil Shishmanov
• Division Quartermaster: Lt. Col. Velichko Preslavsky

1st brigade

• Brigade commander: Colonel Vladimir Serafimov
  • Commander of the 10th Infantry Regiment: Lt. Col. Pyotr Atanasov
  • Commander of the 30th Infantry Regiment: Lt. Col. Zlati Kostov

2nd brigade

• Brigade commander: Colonel Ivan Pashinov
  • Commander of the 12th Infantry Regiment: Colonel Hristo Boyadzhiev
  • 23rd Infantry Regiment Commander: Lt. Col. Peter Manov

3rd brigade

• Brigade commander: Colonel Ivan Vrbanov
  • Commander of the 55th Infantry Regiment: Lt. Col. Lazar Vasilev
  • Commander of the 56th Infantry Regiment: Lieutenant Colonel Dimitar Aleksiev

8th artillery brigade

• Brigade commander: Colonel Dimitar Ruschev
  • Commander of the 8th Artillery Regiment: Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Vatev
  • The commander of the 18th artillery regiment: lieutenant colonel Konstantin Venedikov

In July 1919 , the division was disbanded ^[3] .

World War II

During the Second World War, the division, re-formed in 1938 on the basis of an infantry regiment, was deployed against Turkey in the so-called. "Front cover." In early December 1944 , as part of the 1st Bulgarian Army, the division, together with Soviet troops, entered the battle against the Germans: ^[4]

Command and composition

Division headquarters

• Division commanders: Major General Nikola Grozdanov , Major General Boris Harizanov
• Chiefs of Staff: Colonel Stanju Penchev, Colonel Boris Dechev
  • Commander of the 12th Infantry Regiment: Colonel Dimitar Dimitrov
  • Commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment: Colonel Martin Martinov
  • Commander of the 30th Infantry Regiment: Lt. Col. Asen Lukov, Colonel Todor Popov
  • Commander of the 8th Division Artillery Regiment: Colonel Asen Stefanov

• 8th Tuncian Infantry Division (1904-1921)
• 8th Belomorsky Infantry Regiment (1921-1928)
• 8th Tuncan Infantry Regiment (1928-1938)
• 8th Tuncian Infantry Division (1938-1945)

• Collective under Shchaba for the army, “The Bulgarian Army Pres Pres Photographer of the War 1915-1918 Volume II”, Sofia, 1936, Darzhava

• History on the 8th division (bulg.)