Bulgarian naval officer candidates at the Mürwik Naval School

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The Bulgarian Seeoffiziersanwärter at the Naval Academy Mürwik were Bulgarian cadets at the machine school in Varna , the predecessor of today's Naval Academy Varna , in the years 1916-1918 at the Naval Academy Mürwik a Seeoffiziersausbildung completed.

The training of the said cadets at the Mürwik Naval School was a special moment in the genesis of the educational system of the Navy and the Naval Officer Corps in Bulgaria. It is no coincidence that between the two world wars the phenomenon mentioned aroused sustained public interest in Bulgaria for the Mürwik Naval School and led to the publication of memoirs by cadets from Flensburg, even after 1945.

Emergence

In 1915, the German naval officer Rudolph Ernst Adolph Firle assessed the Bulgarian naval training system and determined that the curricula of the machine school in Warna, Bulgaria on the one hand and the midshipman class of the naval school Mürwik, Flensburg on the other, matched, and that graduates were fit for the profession of naval officer.

Rudolph Firle also reported that in 1915 French studies were discontinued and the German language was introduced at the machine school in Warna, and on the occasion of its secondary school German teachers were sent from Germany to continue "building up a small fleet". In this context, received documents prove, among other things, the teaching activities of the seconded German teacher Költars, who taught sea officer candidates in their third school year in Varna.

Mürwik, August 1917: Qualification report on the Bulgarian prospective naval officers

"Flensburg-Mürwik, August 20, 1917

Qualification report on the Bulgarian maritime officer candidates commanded at the naval school.

Navy Directorate, 5088

The Bulgarian maritime officer candidates were assigned to the naval school on April 10th. The education in the first quarter mainly covered the German language, of which they were almost completely ignorant. In addition to the language lessons, which were eagerly carried out on the three evening walks, they also received instruction in navigation, mathematics, electrical engineering, engineering, drills, gymnastics and boat service. Thanks to their commendable zeal, they made very good progress, especially in the practical service. In order to keep them entertaining off-duty, they were distributed among the midshipmen's quarters ...

Imperial inspection of the naval education system, Kiel "

First vintage

education

In 1916 some Bulgarian graduates from the Naval Academy in Livorno, Italy , took the opportunity to continue their naval officer training at the Mürwik Naval School in Flensburg, Germany. Among them was the prospective naval officer, Vlasev, who was trained as a reconnaissance pilot in Kiel. The first group of Bulgarian naval officer candidates at the Mürwik Naval School consisted of four former cadets from Livorno - Bangeev, Mihov, Svetogorski and Dudev, and two cadets from Varna born in 1913-1919, Kaparashev and Rusev. The group left Varna on April 26, 1916 and arrived in Flensburg on May 6, 1916. The statement made by the German officer Rudolph Firle is noteworthy, stating that the hiring of six Bulgarian naval officer candidates on March 6, 1916 laid the foundation for the planned training of a corps of Bulgarian naval officers based on the German model.

Practice assignments

After completing their studies at the Mürwik Naval School, Bulgarian naval officer candidates completed long practical assignments on warships of the Imperial Navy , such as For example: (1) Candidate sea officer Hristo Rusev on the SMS Freya (large cruiser of the Victoria-Louise class) , on the SMS Großer Kurfürst (large-line ship of the König class) and on minesweepers; (2) Candidate Naval Officer Kaparashev first in the liner fleet, then in the First Mine Carrier Fleet; (3) Candidate naval officers Svetogorski, Mihov and Bangeev in the submarine fleet. At this point in time, the UK's underwater defenses were being intensively developed, so such field operations were fraught with deadly risks. Mihov died on February 12, 1918 in the Irish Sea as a member of the crew of the German submarine SM U 89 , which was rammed and sunk by the British armored cruiser HMS Roxburgh off Malin Head ( Ireland ). Svetogorsky died on April 25, 1918 on his second voyage as a crew member of the German submarine I-10430, which was sunk by the British monitor HMS M31 ( M29 class of the Royal Navy ).

Second year

education

The training of the second group of Bulgarian naval officer candidates at the Mürwik Naval School turned out to be more efficient. Up until April 1, 1917, when they were sent to Germany, the educational reforms had a clear impact on preparation, such as the report by the Imperial Navy's Education Inspectorate on the preparation of the second Bulgarian class during the first three months of their stay at the Mürwik Naval School from the Federal Archives-Military Archives (BArch-MA) . The Flensburg group also included students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering , Petko Peev and Todor Bambekow, who were selected for their studies at the Charlottenburg Polytechnic in Berlin , as well as Chekhlarov and Hasekiev, who were sent to Germany for training as marine divers. The Freiburg archive document also testifies to the change in the curriculum from 1914 to 1920, as a result of which students were recruited for the second Flensburg group. In addition to the compulsory German lessons at Bulgarian military educational institutions, the adoption of the “German regulations for drill and combat training” was planned.

Practice assignments

At the end of 1917, the Bulgarian prospective naval officers of the second group completed longer practical assignments at the Mürwik Naval School, mainly on heavy warships, such as B .: (1) Candidate Naval Officer Zashev on the liner "König Albert" ( Reichspostdampfer of the North German Lloyd ); (2) Candidate naval officer Kuyudzhikliev on the battleship SMS Kaiser ( Kaiser -class , large-line ship ) laying minefields in the North Sea . Some of the Bulgarian aspiring naval officers took part in naval battles during practical missions, such as B. Maritime officer candidate Tomow ( Bulgarian Томов ) on the battleship SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Große ( Kaiser-Friedrich-III.-Klasse , ship of the line ), who during his service from December 28, 1917 to November 22, 1918 on combat missions against submarines and seaplanes reported.

Third year

The third year of Bulgarian naval officer candidates was assigned to the Mürwik Naval School as planned in accordance with Fleet Ordinance No. 25 (& 7) / July 25, 1918. They successfully completed parts of the planned training, but were returned to Bulgaria without a qualification because the war ended.

The lessons learned from the training of the prospective naval officers of the machine school of His Majesty in Varna at the Flensburg Naval School Mürwik during the First World War played an essential role in the genesis of the educational system of the navy and the naval officer corps in Bulgaria in the next decades.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Koschucharow, Assen N .: The graduates of the machine school for His Majesty's fleet [from Bulgaria], who were trained at the Mürwik Naval School in Flensburg during the First World War [ Bulgarian Възпитаниците на Машиеното на Машиерало на Машиерлто на Машиеното на Машиерлто на Машиерлто на Машенното на Машенното чаленното чаленното Величество, които са учили във Военноморско училище Мюрвик в град Фленсбург през Първата световната световната. ]. Military History Collection, Vol. 4, 2008, pp. 31–32.
  2. ↑ Skutunov, K. Stormy Times: King Boris III. At close range. Sofia, IC Sineva 2004, p. 21.
  3. ↑ Burilkova I., Ts. Bilyarski. Epilogue. In: Stormy Times: King Boris III. Sofia, IC Sineva, 2004, p. 640.
  4. ^ Freiburg i. Br., ВАМА, RM 5 / V, 1033. № 400 Copy of the report bd of the liaison officer of the German marina in Varna, Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Firle, to the commanding officer of the Mediterranean Division, Lieutenant Colonel Birman in Constantinople. Quoted from: Bulgaria in the First World War. German diplomatic documents. Volume I, 1913-1915 Sofia, 2002, 494-495.
  5. ^ Freiburg i. Br., ВАМА, RM 3 / V, 1033. Report No. 659, June 3, 1916, Varna, from the liaison officer of the German marina in Varna, Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Firle, to the commanding officer of the Mediterranean Division in Constantinople. Quoted from: Bulgaria in the First World War. German diplomatic documents. Volume II 1916–1918 Sofia, 2002, p. 80, no. 25.
  6. ↑ DWIA, F. 1041, op. I, ae 21, l. 1. ( Bulgarian ДВИА, Ф. 1041, оп. I, а.е. 21, л. 1. )
  7. ↑ Koschucharow, Assen N .: Graduates of machinery school fleet of His Majesty [Bulgaria] who have been trained at the Naval Academy Mürwik in Flensburg during the First World War [ Bulgarian Възпитаниците на Машинното училище при Флота на Негово Величество , които са учили във Военноморско училище Мюрвик в град Фленсбург през Първата световна война. ]. Military History Collection, Vol. 4, 2008, p. 35.
  8. ↑ Pampulov, P. A sad memory. In: Anniversary Compendium 50 Years of the Naval School 1881–1931 In: [Verlag der Marineschule], p. 128.
  9. ↑ TDA-Warna, F. Zk, op. 2, AU 2, l., 335. Official list of the employees of the Societé Commerciale Bulgare de Navigation à Vapeur (Bulgarian commercial shipping company or Българско търговско параходно дружество, 1927–1910), It .
  10. ↑ a b c Koschucharow, Assen N .: The graduates the machine school fleet His Majesty [Bulgaria], which were formed at the Naval Academy Mürwik in Flensburg during the First World War [ Bulgarian Възпитаниците на Машинното училище при Флота на Негово Величество , които са учили във Военноморско училище Мюрвик в град Фленсбург през Първата световна война. ]. Military History Collection, Vol. 4, 2008, pp. 33–34.
  11. ↑ Koschucharow, Assen N .: Graduates of machinery school fleet of His Majesty [Bulgaria] who have been trained at the Naval Academy Mürwik in Flensburg during the First World War [ Bulgarian Възпитаниците на Машинното училище при Флота на Негово Величество , които са учили във Военноморско училище Мюрвик в град Фленсбург през Първата световна война. ]. Military History Collection, Vol. 4, 2008, p. 37.