Vladimir Vazov

Vladimir Vazov
Vladimir Vazov
	Lieutenant General
Commands held	4th Artillery Regiment; 9th Pleven Infantry Division;
Battles/wars	Balkan Wars Battle of Adrianople; Battle of Kirk Kilisse; Battle of Chataldzha; First World War Battle of Doiran;
Awards	Order of Bravery; Order of St Alexander; Order of Military Merit; Iron Cross; Lyakat Medal;
Alma mater	Vasil Levski National Military University
Relations	Ivan Vazov, Georgi Vazov and Boris Vazov (brothers)
Other work	Chairman of the Union of Reserve Officers (1920–1921, 1924–1930);; Mayor of Sofia (1926–1932);

Vladimir Minchev Vazov (

First World War

.

Biography

Vladimir Vazov was born on 14 May 1868 to Mincho Vazov and Suba Hadjinikolova. His brothers were the writer Ivan Vazov, the officer Georgi Vazov and the politician Boris Vazov.

In 1886 Vladimir Vazov entered the Military School in Sofia. After he graduated in 1888 he was assigned as a second lieutenant to the 5th artillery regiment in Shumen.

On 18 May 1890 Vladimir was promoted to

assistant principal. On 31 December 1906 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1909 he was the commander of an artillery section in the 4th Artillery Regiment but was soon made a brigade

commander.

Balkan Wars

During the First Balkan War Vladimir Vazov served as commander of the 4th Quick-Firing Artillery Regiment of the 1st Sofia Infantry Division. When war was declared on 5 October 1912 some 21 officers and 1168 soldiers were serving in his regiment.

On 9 October Vazov fought around the village of Geçkinli where the Bulgarians defeated the Ottomans despite the latter's sizable numerical advantage. After that he took part in the Battle of Kirk Kilisse and later fought in the First Battle of Çatalca.

During the

Tsaribrod, Pirot

, Bubliak and Gradoman.

First World War

By August 1915

Battle of Kosovo. With the final defeat of the Serbian army in November the 5th Division was turned south to face the French forces advancing up the river Vardar. On 28 November Vazov was severely wounded and forced to take leave from active frontal duties during the next several months.^[1] Soon afterwards he was promoted to colonel

.

In 1916 he was made commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 5th Division and successfully led it in action against Allies during their

Autumn Offensive on the Macedonian front.^[1]

On 1 March 1917 he took the command of the 9th Pleven Infantry Division which was part of the First Bulgarian Army. Beginning in 1916 the division occupied a stretch of the Macedonian front between the river Vardar and lake Dojran.

As soon as he was appointed he inspected the entire section of the front that was under his command and took measures to strengthen and fortify it. Under his guidance the forces were deployed in order to create a defence in depth.

His efforts to improve the positions were soon tested during the Second Battle of Doiran between 22 and 26 April 1917. Some 86 heavy and 74 field British guns bombarded the line with more than 100,000 shells but caused insignificant damage and the following infantry attack suffered a heavy defeat. In early May, the British resumed their assault but were again defeated and suffered heavy casualties. Following this attack the Bulgarian 34th Troyan Regiment alone buried the bodies of some 2,290 Allied officers and soldiers. Due to his significant contribution for the victory on 20 May 1917, Vladimir Vazov was promoted to major general.

Lieutenant General

Vladimir Vazov.

The location of the Doiran Sector was crucial as it represented the shortest possible route to the valley of the Vardar and during the summer of 1918 its defence was expanded to consist of four lines arrayed in depth. Hence it was much better prepared to face an attack than the previous year.

When the Allied

First World War

.

1920s and 1930s

On 24 February 1920 lieutenant-general Vazov went into the reserve. In 1926 he became mayor of Sofia. During his mandate (until 1932) the fire department was reformed, the electrical network expanded, and the public transport improved. Sofia became one of the “greenest” capitals in Europe.

Among the most notable moments of Vladimir Vazov’s life was his visit to

British legion celebrated the British victory in World War I. The British veterans invited one of their worthiest opponents on the battlefield. He was personally greeted by Lord Milne

, who shook his hand with the words "It is a pleasure to meet the Bulgarian delegation, as even though we were enemies, you – like us – fought not only like brave men, but also like gentlemen." The British paid great honour to General Vazov as they lowered their national flags in his name. The chairman of the British legion Major Goldy said in his speech: “He is one of the few foreign officers whose name features in our history”.

Lieutenant-General Vladimir Vazov was banished by the communist authorities after September 9, 1944 in the village of Ribaritsa (near Lovech), where he died in deep poverty on May 20, 1945.