The development of the Bulgarian Artillery : 1886 - 1911

In 1885 with Edict N° 61/23 December 1885 the Militia of the Eastern Rumelia was reorganized and merged into the Bulgarian Army : the artillery half-battery was assigned to the newly raised 3^rd artillery regiment.

In 1886 with Order N° 176/22 August 1886 an artillery Brigade was raised, to group the three artillery regiment. Awaiting the delivery of the Krupp guns, with Order N° 35/1886, the existing two 4 pdr field batteries were assigned to 3^rd artillery regiment. In addition with Order N° 113/1886 a mountain artillery section was attached to 3^rd artillery regiment. In the same year the units, which had taken part in the military conspiracy that had forced Prince Aleksandar Battenberg to leave Sofia and to sign his abdication, were disbanded and new units were raised to replace them. Also the artillery was involved in the turmoil, so with Edict N° 181 1^st artillery regiment was disbanded, and with Edict N° 186 a new 4^th regiment took its place in Sofia.

With Edict N° 290/31 December 1886 a siege battery was raised in Vidin with an establishment of 1 captain as battery commander, 1 second lieutenant, 1 warrant officer, 10 non commissioned officers, 100 men, and the hors rang troops required to make it an independent unit. It was moved to Sofia three year later, on 8 June 1889.

In 1887 the peace establishment of the artillery units was :

– artillery regiment (6 batteries) : 36 officers, 2 doctors, 1 clerk, 769 line and 60 hors rang NCO’s and men;

– mountain artillery section : 2 officers, 64 line and 7 hors rang NCO’s and men;

– siege artillery battery : 3 officers, 110 line and 5 hors rang NCO’s and men.

Beginning from that year, however, the Bulgarian artillery became to gradually increase their effectives. With Edict N° 41/1887 3^rd artillery regiment raised two new batteries (5^th and 6^th), that changed their number into 3^rd and 4^th, and the Edict N° 175/1887 ordered that from 1 January 1888 every artillery regiment would raise a 7^th battery, along with a mountain section in 2^nd and 4^th regiment. At the beginning of the following year they were followed by an 8^th battery and a 2^nd mountain section (Edict N° 197/1888).

During the 1889 three new regiments were raised, simply dividing in half the existing ones :

– with Edict N° 10/19 January 1889, the 4^th regiment (Sofia) raised the 1^st regiment at Samokov, giving up its 3^rd, 4^th, 7^th and 8^th batteries and its 1^st mountain artillery section;

– with Edict N° 40/1 April 1889, the 2^nd regiment, that was transferred to Vratza, raised the 5^th, that remained at Shumen, giving up its 2^nd, 4^th, 7^th and 8^th batteries and its 1^st mountain artillery section;

– with the same Edict, the 3^rd regiment (Plovdiv) raised the 6^th regiment at Sliven, giving up its 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th batteries and its 1^st mountain artillery section.

Every regiment had only 4 eight-guns batteries (numbered in sequence 1^st to 4^th), and a mountain section. In every regiment 1^st and 2^nd were armed with 87mm guns, while 3^rd and 4^th battery and the mountain sections with 75mm guns. Nevertheless no additional artillery pieces were ordered until 1891, therefore there were modern guns only to equip the 4 horsed guns assigned to the batteries in peacetime.

In 1890 with Edict 179/1890 the spare (запасен) batteries attached to artillery depots in Razgrad and Sofia was renamed cadre battery, and school battery respectively. The latter was assigned to the artillery proving ground that had been formed on 15 January of the same year. On 28 December with Edict N° 176/1890 the artillery regiments were subordinated to the Foot Brigades. They remained under the direct control of the Artillery Inspection only for training and the technical matters. On 31 December with Order N° 474, their distribution was arranged as follows :

– 4^th artillery regiment to 1^st Foot Brigade,

– 2^nd and 5^th artillery regiment to 2^nd Foot Brigade,

– 3^rd artillery regiment to 5^th Foot Brigade,

– 6^th artillery regiment to 6^th Foot Brigade.

On 11 January 1890 with Edict N° the existing siege battery was renamed “Sofiyska fortress battery” and another siege battery was raised in Shumen, but was moved to Vidin on 30 April 1891 and renamed “Vidinska fortress battery”. Its commander was maj. Georgi Sotirov.

In 1892, to fulfil the request of the Law for the organization of the Armed Forces of the Principality of Bulgaria, approved in 1891, the Edict N° 176/27 December 1891 ordered the formation of new artillery units :

– the artillery regiment raised a 5^th battery;

– the fortress batteries in Sofia and Vidin were expanded in fortress battalions, with 3 and 2 companies respectively;

– three reserve batteries were formed with the existing school and cadre batteries and a new battery raised in Shumen.

With the transformation of the old Foot Brigades into Infantry Division, the artillery regiment were assigned to them as follows :

– 1^st artillery regiment to 5^th Dunavska Division (ex 3^rd Foot Brigade),

– 2^nd artillery regiment to 6^th Bdinska Division (ex 2^nd Foot Brigade),

– 3^rd artillery regiment to 2^nd Trakiyska Division (ex 5^th Foot Brigade),

– 4^th artillery regiment to 1^st Sofiyska Division (ex 1^st Foot Brigade),

– 5^th artillery regiment to 4^th Preslavska Division (ex 4^th Foot Brigade),

– 6^th artillery regiment to 3^rd Balkanska Division (ex 6^th Foot Brigade).

With the Order N° 57/1892 the 1^st battery of 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th artillery regiment were rearmed with 120mm Krupp field howitzers, recently purchased.

With Order 111/1892 a pioneer detachment was added to Vidinski fortress battalion, the cadre coming from the pioneer brigade.

In 1893 with Edict N° 111/1892 three more reserve batteries were raised. Their task and structure were fixed with Order N° 88/1893. They should train men and horses as cadre for an artillery regiment composed by 4-6 field batteries with 6-8 guns each, and a mountain battery with 4 guns. They were independent units composed by a staff officer as the commander, an adjutant as paymaster, 4 captains as section commanders, 4 lieutenants and 194 men. The sections were divided into three detachments. The batteries were subordinated to the Infantry Divisions, and took the number of the respective Divisions. They depended by the Artillery Inspector only for training and the technical matters. Being independent units the reserve batteries had their own workshops : laboratory, tailoring, carpentry, forge, saddlery.

In addition the Vidinski fortress battalion raised another company and the Sofiyski fortress battalion raised its pioneer detachment : therefore the two fortress battalions had the same composition.

In 1894, being arrived the second batch of the howitzers ordered in Germany, also the 1^st battery of 1^st and 6^th artillery regiment were rearmed with 120mm Krupp field howitzers.

In 1895 the Edict N° 1/1 January 1895 introduced radical changes in the organization of the Bulgarian artillery :

– the reserve batteries were assigned to the artillery regiments, where they formed their 6^th batteries;

– the artillery regiments were organized on 2 artillery division, each with 3 six-guns batteries;

– with the existing 6 mountain artillery sections, renamed half-batteries, 3 mountain batteries were raised and attached to 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th regiments;

– the howitzers batteries of 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 6^th artillery regiments were rearmed with 87mm field guns and the howitzers were assigned to the fortress artillery;

– a third fortress battalion with 3 companies was raised in Shumen and directly subordinated to the Head of the fortress artillery, along with the battalion in Sofia and Vidin.

In 1896 with Edict N° 1/1896 3 more mountain batteries were raised and formed with the existing ones 3 mountain divisions, with 2 batteries each. They were garrisoned respectively at Berkovitza, Samokov and Stanimaka. In addition a third artillery division with 3 batteries was attached to 4^th artillery regiment. A laboratory half-company was formed and attached to Shumenski fortress battalion.

In 1898 with Edict N° 36/1898 a third artillery division was raised also in the remaining five regiments, while a third battery was added to the 3 mountain divisions.

In 1899 with Edict N° 21/15 June 1899 the mountain divisions were detached from the artillery regiments and assembled into a new mountain artillery regiment, with headquarters in Sofia. The divisions, however, kept their previous garrisons.

In 1904, following the creation of three new Infantry Divisions, with Edict N° 85/30 December 1903 the artillery was increased and reorganized as follows:

– three new artillery regiments were raised: 7^th artillery regiment at Samokov, with one division from 4^th regiment and two divisions from 2^nd regiment; 8^th artillery regiment at Stara Zagora, with two divisions from 3^rd regiment and one division from 6^th regiment; 9^th artillery regiment at Pleven, with one division from 1^st regiment and one division from 5^th regiment;

– the mountain artillery regiment was renamed mountain artillery brigade, without any change in its composition.

With Edict N° 88/30 December 1903 the three new artillery regiments were assigned to the corresponding Infantry Division :

– 7^th artillery regiment to 7^th Rilska Division,

– 8^th artillery regiment to 8^th Tundzhanska Division,

– 9^th artillery regiment to 9^th Plevenska Division.

Therefore at the beginning of 1904 the Bulgarian Army had 9 artillery regiments, 6 of them (1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 7^th and 8^th) with three artillery divisions, and 3 (2^nd, 6^th and 9^th) with only two artillery divisions. In peace only two divisions in each artillery regiment were horsed. Waiting the delivery of the new quick-firing guns, the 87mm guns available at that time were not enough to equip all the batteries planned in wartime.

In 1907 with Edict N° 148/27 December 1906 three Military Inspections were established at Sofia, Stara Zagora and Ruse to group by three the existing Infantry Divisions. The artillery regiments assigned to the Infantry Divisions came under the control of these Inspections, while the mountain artillery brigade and the fortress battalions remained directly subordinated to the Artillery Inspection. Nevertheless in peace there was not a “head of the artillery of the Military Inspection” to direct all the artillery units of the Inspection in peace and to command them in wartime. The charge of head of the artillery of the various Armies was established only at the beginning of the Balkan War, using high officers on duty at the Artillery Inspection.

In 1908 with Order on the military administration N° 204/31 May 1908 the Corps organization envisaged by Law for the organization of the Armed Forces of the Principality of Bulgaria in 1903 was finally abolished and a new directive for the mobilization and new war establishments were elaborated.

In 1909 with Decree N° 108/1908 the mountain artillery brigade was renamed mountain artillery section of the Artillery Inspection.

In 1910 with Decree N° 1/1910 every mountain artillery division raised a 4^th battery.

In 1911 with Decree N° 99/31 December 1910 the artillery saw its last reorganization before the outbreak of the Balkan wars, with the establishment of new units :

– the artillery regiments raised a third artillery division; every division was composed by three battery, only two of them being horsed in peace;

– the existing three artillery divisions were expanded into mountain artillery regiments, with two division each, the division having two batteries each;

– three cadre howitzers batteries with 6 guns each were raised from a company taken from the fortress battalions and attached to an artillery regiment of each Military Inspection :

a) 1^st Military Inspection : the howitzer battery was formed from 3^rd company of Sofiyski fortress battalion and attached to 4^th artillery regiment;

b) 2^nd Military Inspection : the howitzer battery was formed from 3^rd company of Vidinski fortress battalion and attached to 8^th artillery regiment;

c) 3^rd Military Inspection : the howitzer battery was formed from 1^st company of Shumenski fortress battalion and attached to 8^th artillery regiment;

– the fortress battalion transformed the remaining two companies in two fortress-siege artillery groups.