Macedonian-Adrianople Landwehr
The Macedonian-Adrianople Landwehr ( Bulgarian Македоно-одринско опълчение Makedono-odrinsko opaltschenie ) was a volunteer association of the Bulgarian army during the Balkan Wars 1912-1913. The corps was set up on September 23, 1912 and was recruited from the Bulgarian population of Macedonia and Thrace (mainly from the Vilayet Adrianople ), who were still under Ottoman-Turkish rule and for this reason were not subject to general mobilization in Tsarist Bulgaria . Most of the fighters lived as refugees in Bulgaria. Volunteers of other nationalities could also join the corps. So the Armenians put their own company under the leadership of Garegin Nschdeh and Andranik Toros Ozanian .
The establishment of the Macedonian-Adrianople Landwehr took place on the initiative of the Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian Army , Ivan Fitschew .
The corps fought in Eastern Thrace in the First Balkan War and was able to capture Rodosto , Tekirdağ , Corlu and the Marmara Island , among others . In the Second Balkan War it took part in fighting in Macedonia against the Serbian army.
Structure of the corps
The corps was led by Major General Nikola Genew . His deputy was from Ohrid originating Colonel Aleksandar Protogerov . Staff was composed of Kilkis originating Major Petar Darwingow . The corps was initially divided into six battalions , which were named after the region of origin of the fighters. Later nine more battalions and one engineering battalion were added. A battalion consisted of about 1,100 men in four companies of 212 to 215 men each. The first six battalions had the following names:
- First Debar Battalion (bulg. Първа Дебърска дружина) ( Debar )
- Second Skopje Battalion (bulg. Втора Скопска дружина) ( Skopje )
- Third Solun Battalion (Bulgarian Трета Солунска дружина) (now Thessaloniki )
- Fourth Bitola Battalion (Bulgarian Четвърта Битолска дружина) ( Bitola )
- Fifth Adrianople Battalion (Bulgarian Пета Одринска дружина) (today Edirne )
- Sixth Ohrid Battalion (bulg. Шеста Охридска дружина) ( Ohrid )
Known members
literature
- Simeon Radew : Това, което видях от Балканската война [Tova, koeto vidjach ot Balkanskata vojna; “What I saw of the Balkan war”]. Sofia 1993.
- Petar Darwingow : История на Македоно-одринското опълчение [Istorija na Makedono-odrinskoto opălčenie; "History of the Macedonian-Adrianople Landwehr"], Volume 1, 1919; Volume 2, 1925
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Björn Sacrifice: In the Shadow of War. Occupation or Anschluss - Liberation or Oppression? A comparative study of Bulgarian rule in Vardar Macedonia 1915-1918 and 1941-1944. Lit Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 47.