Ivan Fachev

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Ivan Fachev

Iwan Iwanow Fitschew (common transcription: Ivan Fichev, Bulgarian Иван Иванов Фичев ; born April 15, 1860 in Tarnowo , † November 18, 1931 in Sofia ) was a Bulgarian general, war minister and chief of staff of the Bulgarian army during the First Balkan War . The conquest of Adrianople , Lüleburgaz and Kırklareli took place under his leadership .

Life

Ivan Fitschew was born on April 15, 1860 in the old capital of Bulgaria, Tarnovo . His grandfather was the Bulgarian architect Kolju Ficheto at the time of the Bulgarian national revival . First Fitschew attended a typical cell school in Tarnowo and then the elite Aprilow grammar school in Gabrovo . He then graduated from Robert College in Constantinople (now Istanbul).

In the Russo-Turkish War from 1877 to 1878 Fitschew participated as a volunteer in the Second Bulgarian Landwehr. Because of his good knowledge, he was used by the Russians as an interpreter for the military commander of Gabrovo and later as an interpreter and secretary to the Russian governor of Tarnovo.

After the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish-Ottoman rule, Fitschew entered the military school in Sofia in 1880 as a "Junker" ( cadet ) , which he finished in 1882 with the rank of lieutenant . He was then drafted into the 20th Varna Battalion. On August 30, 1885 he was promoted to first lieutenant .

Military career

Ivan Fachev

Serbian-Bulgarian War

In the Serbian-Bulgarian War of 1885, Fitschew commanded the Second Company of the 5th Danube Infantry Regiment and took part in the successful defense of Vidin against the Serbian army from November 12 to 16.

On January 1, 1887, he was promoted to captain . In 1888 he finished the Military Academy in Torino (Reale Accademia di Savoja), Italy . In 1892 he was promoted to major , in 1899 to lieutenant colonel and in 1903 to colonel . In 1900 he became a member of the Bulgarian Literary Society (today the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences ) and in the spring of the same year commander of the 2nd Thrace Infantry Regiment with headquarters in Plovdiv .

Balkan Wars

As early as 1903, Fitschew was concerned with plans for a future war against the Ottoman Empire against the background of the "national unification of Bulgaria" . Two Bulgarian armies should be set up for Macedonia and three for Thrace . In view of the territorial claims of Greece (see Megali Idea ) and Serbia (see Greater Serbia ), a Bulgarian-Ottoman war should be waged without allies. This first plan was defensively oriented and took into account the possible movements and strength of the Ottoman army in Adrianople (now Edirne ) and the Mariza valley. The Rhodope Mountains should be used as natural cover.

In 1908 Fitschew was promoted to major general and was chief of the general staff of the Bulgarian army from 1910 until the beginning of the Second Balkan War in 1913 . In 1908 he developed a second, this time offensive, plan for war with the Ottoman Empire. The new plan envisaged the advance of the main forces, the second and third Bulgarian armies, through the Tundschatal in eastern Thrace towards Adrianople and the Aegean Sea . A western army was to advance towards Macedonia and involve the Ottoman forces there in combat operations.

The implementation of this plan in the First Balkan War 1912–1913, which was carried out against the will of Fitschew with allies, led to rapid successes (see Battle of Kirk Kilisse , Battle of Lüleburgaz ) against the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Thrace towards Constantinople. Adrianople , Lüleburgaz and Kırklareli were conquered under Fitschew's leadership . The Bulgarian army quickly advanced to the Aegean Sea, the Sea of ​​Marmara and the suburbs of Constantinople. When the Bulgarian attack on Constantinople failed at the Çatalca line, Fitschew fell out of favor with the Bulgarian tsar, although Fitschew himself had been against the attack.

Fitschew took part in the negotiations and the signing of the London Treaty of 1913, which sealed the victory over the Ottoman Empire, but due to renewed disagreements with the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I and General Savov, Fitschew submitted his resignation on May 13, 1913 Chief of the General Staff. The request was unsuccessful at first, but when the Second Balkan War began, Fitschew again submitted his resignation in protest and this time the request was accepted.

During the peace negotiations to end the war in Bucharest , Romania (see Peace of Bucharest ), Fitschew led the Bulgarian delegation. In light of the human and territorial losses Bulgaria suffered, he said on the day of signing:

"[...] this day is the saddest for the Bulgarian nation [...]"

First World War

After the end of the Second Balkan War, Fitschew was again Chief of the General Staff. On January 14, 1914, he was appointed lieutenant general and on September 14, 1914, Minister of War of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. He held this position until August 6, 1915, shortly before Bulgaria entered the First World War . After its termination and the resumption of diplomatic relations with Romania Fitschew became Bulgarian ambassador in Bucharest.

Medals and badges

bibliography

Ivan Fachev is the author of several books, mainly on military subjects, including:

  • Military-historical outline of the Serbian-Bulgarian War in 1885 (from the Bulgarian Военноисторически очерк за Българо-сръбската война през 1885 г. ), 1888
  • War in the Mountains (Bulgarian Планинска война ), 1893
  • Tactics (Bulgarian Тактика) 1894
  • The high command during the Balkan war 1912 from the beginning to Çatalca (from the bulg. Висшето командуване през Балканската война 1912 г. от началото на войната до Чаталджа включително ) 1927
  • Çatalca. Tactical studies (from the Bulgarian Чаталджа. Тактическа студия ), 1930
  • The Balkan War 1912–1913. Experienced, written down and documents (from the Bulgarian Балканската война 1912–1913. Преживелици, бележки и документи ), 1940

literature

  • Hans-Joachim Böttcher : Ferdinand von Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha 1861–1948 - A cosmopolitan on the Bulgarian throne . Osteuropazentrum Berlin - Verlag (Anthea Verlagsgruppe), Berlin 2019, ISBN 978-3-89998-296-1 , pp. 224, 225, 241, 242, 259, 265, 266, 296.
  • Edward J. Erickson: Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912-1913 . Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, pp. 70-72 and pp. 129-134, ISBN 978-0-275-97888-4
  • Richard C. Hall: The Balkan Wars, 1912-1913: Prelude to the First World War . Routledge, 2000, ISBN 978-0-415-22946-3
  • Georgi Markow: Bulgaria in the Balkan Alliance against the Ottoman Empire 1912–1913 (from the Bulgarian България в Балканския съюз срещу Османската Империя, 1912–1913 г. ). Publishing house Nauka i izkustwo, Sofia, 1989

Web links

Commons : Ivan Fitschew  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Edward J. Erickson, pp. 70-72
  2. ↑ Edward J. Erickson, pp. 129-134
  3. ^ Simeon Radew , Traian Radew: Konferentsiiata V Bukuresht I Bukureshtkiiat Mir Ot 1913 . (Eng. The Bucharest Conference and the Peace of Bucharest of 1913. ) Tinapres, Sofia 1992, ISBN 978-954-830901-1 .
  4. ↑ Richard F. Hamilton, Holger H. Herwig: The Origins of World War I . Cambridge University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-521-81735-8 , p. 396
  5. ^ G. Walkow: General Iwan Fitschew. Selected works (from the Bulgarian: Генерал Иван Фичев. Избрани произведения ), Sofia 1988, Militärverlag, pp. 11–12
personal data
SURNAME Fitschew, Ivan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Фичев, Иван Иванов; Fichev, Ivan; Fitschew, Ivan Ivanov
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bulgarian general
DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1860
PLACE OF BIRTH Tarnowo
DATE OF DEATH November 18, 1931
Place of death Sofia