^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Flags in the National Museum of Military History, Bulgaria

I visited the National Museum of Military History in Sofia, Bulgaria, on July 16th 2008. It is a great museum having lots of collections on display. I bought the Museum book showing lots of Bulgarian historical flags
Nozomi Kariyasu, 16 February 2009

Turkish Incursion to Sofia by Ottoman Sultan Murad I in 1388
First Bulgarian Legion, 1862
Bulgarian Volunteers, 1877
1st Battalion of 265th Volunteers regiment, 1916
Communist era combat flag
7th Preslav infantry regiment
Bulgarian National Volunteer Company
Chirpan detachment used in 1885

Turkish Incursion to Sofia by Ottoman Sultan Murad I in 1388

image by Eugene Ipavec, 16 February 2009

The picture shows red flag with three stars and crescent.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 16 February 2009

I suspect the hoist star and crescent should be horizontally centered; the odd arrangement may be due to aesthetic considerations, to make room for another flag passing in front of this one in the painting.
Eugene Ipavec, 16 February 2009

First Bulgarian Legion, 1862

image by Eugene Ipavec, 16 February 2009

Created by Georgi Rakovski, the 1st Bulgarian Legion took part in the siege and fight for taking Belgrade Fortress from the Ottomans. He used a blue, white and red horizontal tricolor flag.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 16 February 2009

Bulgarian Volunteers, 1877

image by Eugene Ipavec, 16 February 2009

The Russian Emperor Alexander II declared war on Turkey for the liberation of Bulgaria on 24 April 1877. The Ottoman Army was totally defeated by Russian troops. A red, white and blue horizontal flag with a cross in the center was used as samara flag for the Bulgarian Volunteers.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 16 February 2009

1st Battalion of 265th Volunteers regiment, 1916

image by Eugene Ipavec, 24 February 2009

Bulgaria joined World War I and fought against Serbia and Romania. The flag of 1st Battalion of 265th Volunteers regiment is green flag with yellow cross.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 16 February 2009

Text reads:
"ЗA BҌPУ, ЦAPЯ И OTEЧECTBO.", or "ZA VERU, CARI I OTEČESTVO."; "For [the] faith, emperor and fatherland"
Eugene Ipavec, 24 February 2009

Communist era combat flag

image by Eugene Ipavec, 1 March 2009

A Communist era Bulgarian combat flag is red with the national emblem.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 14 February 2009

The blue field of the shield only became official in 1967, but was used de facto before that. The lion should always have been golden, though, instead of dark red as here. The top text reads " ЗA NAШATA COЦИAЛИCTИЧECKA POДИHA!", or ZA NAŠATA SOCIALISTIČESKA RODINA!, meaning if I'm not mistaken
"For our socialist birth (i.e. home) land!"
The bottom text is "HAPOДHA PEПУБЛIKA БЪЛГAPИЯ" or NARODNA REPUBLIKA BULGARIA, "People's Republic of Bulgaria."
Eugene Ipavec, 24 February 2009

7th Preslav infantry regiment

image by Eugene Ipavec, 1 March 2009

On Sep 7th 1940 in Craiova, Bulgaria and Romania signed an agreement for the return of South Dobruja. The red and green flag of the 7th Preslav infantry regiment welcomed officially South Dobruja.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 14 February 2009

Bulgarian National Volunteer Company

image by Eugene Ipavec, 5 March 2009

The flag of the Bulgarian National Volunteer Company is a white flag charged with red cross a lion and crossed swords.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 14 February 2009

The "Bulgarian Volunteer Company #4093" was founded on 20.10.1951 by 200 emigrants after the order of the General Headquarters of the American military forces in Europe (in Western Germany). The code-name of the company was 'Cteator Hesse' and it was enrolled to 112 Military center, ZIP code 757, USA. De facto it is the first Bulgarian company in the NATO. On 7.04.1953 it was rebased from Zeilsheim to Eschborn. From 20.06.1953 the company was rebased in Misau (?) (ZIP code 180) and 6950 Labor Service Center, ZIP code 227, US Army. From 20.10.1953 till 1964, when the company was disbanded, it was based in Germersheim.
Source: http://iris-bg.org.server10.host.bg/files/chapter5.pdf Appendix 10, pp. 373-378.
Stoyan Antonov, 4 March 2009

Chirpan detachment used in 1885

image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 March 2009

On Sep 6th 1885 the troops of the garrison of Plivdiv together with the rebels armed detachments overthrew Roumelia's government and pronounced officially the unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Roumelia. The flag of Chirpan detachment used in 1885 is a red flag charged with a lion holding sword, and trampling a crescent, a common motif in East-European anti-Ottoman revolt flags. (rather odd lion; fish-faced, with no mane and wearing a smoking jacket.) Text reads "ПРАВДИНА СЕ ДОБИВА СЪ КРЪВНИНА", or "PRAVDINA SE DOBIVA S' KR'VNINA", which I make out as, roughly, "Justice is gained through bloodshed", plus the date "1885" and the word "Чирпанъ", "Ӕirpan'".
Nozomi Kariyasu and Eugene Ipavec, 6 March 2009